US Policies to be More Friendly to Foreign Visitors Should Help Vacation Rentals
The USA's $645 bIllion travel and tourism industry and vacation rentals' part of that industry should be helped by new Bush administration policies to make foreign visitors feel more welcome.The strict border security measures that were instituted after the Sept. 11 attacks have discouraged many foreign tourists from coming to the USA.
The USA Today reports that, as a result, the number of lost foreign visitors has become too large to ignore.The 48 million foreign vistors to the USA last year were below the level of 2000. In the same period, worldwide foreign travel soared 17%. Had the USA kept pace with the increase in foreign travel around the world , an additional 9 million foreigners would have come last year.The USA's lost opportunity was more than $12 billion in spending and 150,000 new jobs.
Among the steps to be taken to encourage more foreign visitors are improvements in the visa application process, videoconferencing among consular offices, and testing airports to make them more friendly to foreign arrivals.For the full story, click here.
