US attracted lesser visitors than in 2000-USTA
by Michelle S - February 17, 2011
United States, 17th February: The US attracted fewer foreign visitors than it did in the year 2000, latest official figures from USTA reveal.
This is despite the fact that there has been a global boom in travel in the period of last ten years.
The US witnessed an increase of ten percent in the number of foreigners visiting the nation in the year 2010 till November as compared to the same period in the year 2009. But still, the total foreign visitors attracted by the US were less for the tenth year in a row, the USTA(US Travel Association) maintains.
Steps suggested for increasing US tourism---
President of the USTA, Geoff Freeman, suggests some steps for bringing improvements in the US tourism levels.
These include reforms in the US visa process by the US immigration department.
In addition, the US needs to step up its efforts to promote the nation as a tourism destination for foreign visitors, Freeman asserted.
There is an immediate and a compulsive need for expansion of the US ESTA program for increasing tourism in the nation. So, the US must work towards expanding the US visa waiver scheme for alluring higher number of foreigners to explore the beauties of the nation, added Freeman.
The US visa waiver program allows nationals of 36 countries to travel to the US for a maximum period of 90 days by making use of the online ESTA application.
The best thing about such application is that it gets approval within a matter of just 74 hours after it has been submitted.
Meanwhile, foreigners hailing from countries not currently covered by the US visa waiver scheme need to undergo a somewhat tedious US visa application procedure. Under this US visa process, an applicant applying might have to wait for around 100 days before receiving an interview call with the officer of the American Consulate.
Promotion of US as a tourist destination can boost the US economy---
Freeman said that the US economy could get a tremendous boost by promoting US to foreigners. It could also help in creation of several opportunities of jobs in the US and result in huge revenue for the nation.
Average amount spent by foreign visitors to the US is estimated to be $4,000 each for every single trip. The nation has lost $37 billion as tax revenue by loosing around 79 million foreign visitors in the last ten years.
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