U.S. Travel Industry Keeps Giving Itself a Bad Name

The U.S. is losing billions of dollars as international tourists are deterred from visiting the U.S. because of a tarnished image overseas and more bureaucratic visa policies, travel industry leaders have warned.

"It´s an economic imperative to address these problems," said Roger Dow, chief executive of the Travel Industry Association of America, tourism´s main trade body, which concluded its annual convention this weekend in New York.

Dow stressed that tourism contributed to a positive perception of the U.S., which spread across to business. "If we don´t address these issues in tourism, the long-term impact for American brands, like Coca-Cola, General Motors and McDonald´s, could be very damaging," he said.