NEW YORK – Bloomingdale CEO Michael Gould is a fan of President Obama’s efforts to speed up tourist visas for Chinese and Brazilian shoppers.

Doing so would create an “immediate” surge in retail sales as foreign shoppers clamor for Marc Jacobs and Kate Spade designs, Gould said in a telephone interview. The department store chain is preparing for a potential boom by tailoring merchandise assortments to Brazilian and Chinese tastes and advertising outside of the United States for the first time.

“We’re expecting an enormous uptick in growth,” Gould said. “We have the kind of brands that are highly respected by these visitors, and the faster they can get here the better.”

Obama signed an executive order Jan. 19 giving the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State 60 days to come up with a plan to process visa applications from China and Brazil more quickly.

The order recommends shortening the process to three weeks from four months. Visa processing capacity in China and Brazil must be increased by 40 percent in the next year, according to the order.

The resulting increase in U.S. tourism could create 1.3 million jobs and add $850 billion to the economy by 2020, the National Retail Federation said in a Jan. 19 report, citing the U.S. Travel Association.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform said Obama’s order, which calls for less stringent screening, increases potential for “terrorism and visa overstays,” the group said in a statement on its website. The group, based in Washington, D.C., advocates tougher border patrol.

Americans are spending cautiously amid slow wage growth, limited job gains and depressed real estate values. Consumer spending stalled in December, Commerce Department figures showed.

For years, retailers from Saks to Bloomingdale’s have watched as Chinese and Brazilian shoppers traveled to European cities, where the wait time for a visa is about 10 days.

“It’s really stupefying to see the number of Chinese tourists in Paris,” Gould said. “We find it frustrating to see business going elsewhere.”

From 2000 to 2010, the U.S. share of global tourism fell to 11 percent from 17 percent, spurred by stricter security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said David French, head of government relations at the National Retail Federation.

Obama’s plan could help the U.S. gain back its share of the global tourism market, Stephen Sadove, chief executive officer at Saks, said in an emailed statement. The luxury department store could see quick surges in business at its gateway city locations such as New York, San Francisco and Chicago, he said.