Inhospitable US Scares Off Visitors

"There are other places you can go where you don't get treated badly at immigration and ports of entry," Mitchel Lenson told Reuters on Monday, March 12.

The British tourist complained that the aggressive treatment for foreigners has become the basic rule in the US.

"The assumption (in the US) is 'you must be a criminal, so we'll treat you that way.'"

Offensive entry processes and poor perceptions of treatment by pistol-toting and stern-faced officials at airports have scared away international tourists.

According to figures from the Travel Industry Association of America, the number of travelers to the US has dropped by 17 percent since 2001.

Even worse, the frosty welcome has turned away business travelers, foreign students and even foreigners seeking medical care in US clinics and hospitals.

And contrary to what the government propagates, travel industry coalitions insist the decline is largely blamed on unwelcoming entry policies rather than foreign policy.

A 2006 survey of travel agents showed that their clients were far more focused on entry policies than on foreign policy.

"The welcome from the US government just hasn't been there," said Vanessa Welter, communications director for state tourism agency Visit Florida.

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