Terror Toll: Travel to U.S. off 17 percent since 9/11 attacks-lost $15 billion in taxes 200,000 jobs

[Kadie]

Travel to U.S. off 17 percent since 9/11 attacks
Decline costs country $15 billion in taxes, 200,000 jobs, study finds


Updated: 18 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - A 17 percent drop in overseas travelers to the United States since the Sept. 11 attacks has cost the country more than $15 billion in lost taxes and nearly 200,000 jobs, a study showed Tuesday.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States has tightened security measures and toughened its visa and entry requirements. As a result, the country was ranked as the world’s most unfriendly to visitors in a survey conducted last year of travelers from 16 nations.

“Our economic security is suffering from a drastic decline in overseas travelers and we are missing an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen America’s image around the globe,” said Stevan Porter, president of Intercontinental Hotels Group and chairman of the association’s Discover America Partnership. “We are in the midst of a travel crisis.”


more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16771983/

[Marnieworld]

1. I think that it has much to do with anti-Bush administration/anti-USA feelings

as the fear of terrorism. When you find out you could get locked up secretly without habeus corpus forever it makes you re-think your travel plans no?

[Bluestar]

3. If we hadn't entered into the Chimp's war

And ticked off every Muslim and free thinker in the world, this number might have recovered by now.

[indepat]

2. Keeping us safe from being among the nations of the world in good standing,

but that's just fine and dandy with about one-third of the citizenry who still support what this cabal is all about.

[aquart]

4. Good lord, they just noticed?

Everytime idiot George makes an announcement, the travel and tourist industry takes a belly shot.

Did a deskclerk offend him? Was a concierge not obsequious enough? Did a stewardess not laugh at his jokes? What happened to make him so viciously murder a valuable contributor to our economy?

[madrchsod]

5. interesting.. this story is over a month old

i remember reading about this last december....i guess things are changing.

[pitohui]

6. yes and we already discussed it before, plus double post on LBN

as i said on the thread there -- the flights are full, ask anyone who travels transpac or transatlantic about all those empty seats, right, there aren't any

we don't have the air capacity to take on any more international travelers

u.s. market share is a percentage, a number that has fallen for a variety of reasons but mostly because it's easier to get to destinations that were once impossible for most people to visit, namely eastern europe and china, there was never anyway we were going to maintain our historically unrealistic market share, we had an unfairly high share in the past because there was no prague or no beijing to visit, grok?

the planes are full, the loads are unbelievable, there just aren't room for any more unless they propose to make these people attach a kite to the back of the jet in order to tag along

[Kolesar]

7. The *less* people fly around the world, the better

Intercontinental travel has a quite high carbon impact.

[2Design]

8. fingerprinting and passports and the imaginary locks are the problem n/t