http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...lines-business


"Visitors say U.S. is no vacation
Foreign travel reporters at an Anaheim event say the country makes it too difficult to enter.

Foreign travel reporters who made their way to Anaheim for an industry conference this week know why international travel to this country hasn't recovered since 9/11: It's too much of a hassle....


Global travel as a whole, in fact, has been on the rise since 1992 — up 61% as of 2006...


The U.S. hasn't grabbed its share of that increase. What's more, the number of international visitors hasn't rebounded to pre-Sept. 11 levels. There were 51.2 million foreign visitors in 2000 and 51 million in 2006.
...

What's wrong with the U.S.? In a recent survey, more than 2,000 international travelers rated the U.S. airport arrival process the "world's worst" by greater than a 2-1 ratio over the next worst, the Mideast.

The survey, conducted for a coalition called Discover America Partnership, found that 54% of respondents thought U.S. immigration officials were rude and that 57% felt the U.S. didn't want their travel business"




Twice as bad as traveling to the Mideast. Quite a statement.