US loses business travellers
It shouldn’t suprise anyone that the stringent security measures introduced at US airports are putting off business travellers, who apparently turning to Europe for no-hassle entry to conference and congress venues.
The problem for many commercial travellers is getting a visa for entry into the USA. The World Travel Market Report 2006 claims that business travel to the US has fallen by as much as 10% during a period where business travel as a whole has risen sharply.
They also point out that America is losing high spending tourists and visitors from Asia, whı tend to spend more during a visit than their European counterparts. They also argue that Europe is passing by an opportunity to captilise on these new visitors by not doing enough to improve their tourism infrastructre for Asian visitors - though somewhat bizarrely they cite coach parking places for Asians in city centers as an example.
In any case, it’s becoming clear that the stringent security checks are a turn-off for tourists and business travellers. The only question is whether or not they will prevent terrorist attacks.