Insecure About U.S. Border Security

When respondents were asked to list the least travel-friendly destination in the world from among 10 countries, 39 per cent chose the U.S., more than twice the number who identified the Middle East as the least travel-friendly region. Only 2 per cent identified Canada as the country with the least respectful immigration officials. (Of those surveyed, 29 per cent had been to the U.S. within the last 18 months, 19 per cent had travelled to the Middle East and 9 per cent had been to Canada.) This front-line attitude is hurting the U.S. travel industry, tarnishing the country's image abroad and contributing to a downturn in business and leisure travel, the consortium says. "This country since 9/11 has viewed foreign travellers as more of a threat than an opportunity," said Geoff Freeman, the executive director of the partnership. "They (border officials) do not understand that foreign travellers are also key to our national security. They go home as ambassadors for our country.'' Freeman said there has been a 17 per cent decline in total travel to the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and a 10 per cent dip in business travel from 2004 to 2005. http://tinyurl.com/ye4gbq

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