Many international travelers are avoiding the United States because of the hassles of tight security measures in place and the entry process has taken for one such a long time, even as the weakened dollar makes the United States somehow a cheaper place to visit.
Tourists going to the US excluding travelers from Mexico and Canada, has started decreasing after the September 11, 2001 incident and are still seventeen percent lower than in the year 2000 levels per the US Department of Commerce.
Though increased of arrivals from Mexico and Canada had been noted in 2006, visitors to the US from overseas remains the same with no improvement at about twenty two million.
Overseas tourists are important to the tourism industry because they not only stay longer, but spend more money than those coming from Mexico and Canada.
The Commerce Department does not expect an improvement to the US tourism industry that could reach the September 11, 2001 levels of about twenty six million not until 2010.
After that fateful incident, the US has put up several security measures in place, but they had not tend to consider that such a move are barriers that could lead to a decline in travel to the US.
Declining overseas visitors to the US means America’s share of the world travel market is getting smaller. The US has experienced raking in 15.6 percent of international tourism receipts in 2001 as compared to just 11.7 percent in 2006.
The US is not considered anymore to be the number one travel destination like it used to be.
Europeans are expanding their horizons to spend more travel on places like Dubai, China and Turkey for their vacation.
To get a share of the international industry, Discover America is lobbying Congress to pass the Travel Promotion Act, a bill that would establish a nationally coordinated campaign to promote travel to the US and educate people about visitor entry and security policies.
Increasing international travel to the US would not only boost the US tourism industry, but also help in projecting her image abroad.
In the past there has been an inherent belief in Congress that America does need to put much effort into attracting international tourists, but it is not the case currently. The US now need to market its tourism industry just like everyone else.
