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The People News, a free newspaper serving Cleveland Tennessee (TN) and Bradley County Tennessee (Tn).
Of Bradley County Tn.
APRIL 2013
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The People News
Lifestyles
Special Report
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HOME
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BACK ISSUE ARCHIVE
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EDITORIALS
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Millions of Overseas Visitors Not
Returning to U.S.A.
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by Alexandra Edwards
Over the past few decades the United States has been one of the most popular destinations for international travel, bringing the country billions of dollars in tourism. Travel, especially from Europe to the United States increased dramatically when it became affordable to vacationers on an average family income. Some of the top travel destinations probably being Florida, New York, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Colorado and California.
Often visitors to the U.S. have enjoyed their stay so much they have returned year after year. However, a recent survey conducted by the U.S. Travel Association in partnership with Consensus Research Group showed a startling response from the 1200 overseas travelers questioned.
According to the survey which took place between January and October of last year, 43% of the travelers surveyed made up of citizens from Britain, France, Germany, Japan, China and Brazil, said they would not recommend their fellow countrymen to visit the United States because of the long frustrating entry process, and 43% said that they themselves would not return for the same reason. Long lines and wait times going through Homeland Security Customs Border Protection (CBP) at many U.S. airports were said to take as long as two to three hours, causing one in seven international travelers to miss connecting flights, causing cancellation of hotel reservations and car rentals. Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security Secretary, stated that those waits are likely to grow as CBP eliminate overtime and furlough agents. One in three of the survey participants reported the customs process to be "inconsistent, inefficient and confusing."
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U.S. Travel Association state that "visitors to the U.S. report that they tell on average about eight others of their travel experiences, good or bad, creating a multiplying effect to the potential impact of their experiences."
Results of the survey reveal that by losing 100 million travelers to bad experiences of word and mouth is costing the economy at least $95 billion and 518,900 American jobs at risk in the U.S. economy.
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One in three travelers thought the U.S. is falling behind other countries or even the worse in their Customs process.
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Forty-four percent of business travelers say that they will not visit the U.S. in the next five years because of the entry process.
Two thirds of travelers said the U.S. would be a more attractive destination if Customs lines and wait times were shorter and eighty-four percent felt that the U.S. government could fix the process.
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Geoff Freeman, Vice President of U.S. Travel Association, stated that with the recent sequester, government spending cuts are likely to make the entry process exceptionally worse for travelers. "It's time to get get this fixed, our economy can't afford this kind of inefficiency."
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According to a readers survey in Travel and Leisure Magazine, Americas worst airports are New York LaGuardia (LGA), Los Angeles (LAX), Philadelphia (PHL), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD). According to grumbles and grievances from my own visitors from overseas, add to that list Atlanta (ATL) and Miami (MIA).
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Visiting the United States of America for the first time to the majority of foreigners is like a dream come true, a vacation of a lifetime, it is so sad that the experience is marred by being greeted with often unnecessary, disrespectful security regulations from Homeland Security and Customs Boarder Protection.
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