U.S. Has Lost Billions in Tourism Revenues since 9/11

The number of foreign visitors to the United States has dropped sharply since the attacks of September 11, 2001, costing the country tens of billions of dollars, a travel industry study showed last week.

The report released by the Travel Industry Association of America found that the U.S. market share of the six trillion dollar worldwide travel market fell from 7.5 percent in 2000 to 6.1 percent by 2006, a 20 percent drop.

Over the five years, the decline has meant 58 million fewer visitors, 194,000 lost jobs, $94 billion in lost spending and $15.6 billion in lost tax revenues.

Aside from the security concerns after the attacks, the report highlighted concerns about the U.S. entry process that some say discourages foreign visitors.

The partnership last year released a report saying the United States ranks worst in welcoming foreign business travelers and tourists, due to bureaucratic headaches and rude immigration officials.

The group plans to release a series of proposed policy changes to improve the entry process, address concerns with traveling to the US among international travelers, and attract more visitors.