New passport requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative are confusing some U.S. citizens, according to Baja California tourism representatives. "We've had hotels reporting cancellations because people in the U.S. believe that passports now are required to travel to and from Baja by land," said Javier Sanchez, director of the Rosarito Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.

As of Jan. 23, passports will be required for U.S. citizens reentering the country by air after trips to Mexico. New requirements for land and sea travel, however, are not scheduled to take effect until June 1 of 2009.

The passport requirement for land travel was delayed to allow more time to prepare for its implementation and a study of alternatives, including a less costly border crossing card.

"Many people, though, have been reading about the passport requirement for air travel and think that it applies to any form of transportation into Mexico," Sanchez said.

Hugo Torres, owner of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, said his business has had some cancellations because of confusion on the passport issue.

Torres said the State Secretary of Tourism has scheduled a meeting to discuss an education campaign on new passport requirements. He said a more extensive campaign will be launched for the 2009 requirements.

"What we're trying to do is get all hotels to put something on their websites," said Gabriel Robles, president of the Baja Resort Developers Association "We're trying to get people to realize that nothing has changed (regarding land travel requirements)."

The San Ysidro border crossing is the busiest in the world. San Diego and Baja officials are concerned that new requirements if not implemented well will lengthen a border crossing wait that already averages 45 minutes and can extend to hours.

Various groups, including the San Diego Alliance for Border Efficiency, have been working to reduce border wait times that have adversely impacted the economies of both the San Diego region and Baja.

Northern Baja is primarily a driving destination for U.S. residents. More than one million people a year visit Rosarito Beach, which is 20 miles south of the border. The area also is the focal point of a building boom, in which U.S. residents are buying thousands of oceanfront condominiums.