Leaving Home vs. Coming to America

Sent my passport off to Philadelphia last week for routine renewal, then got unexpected assignment to cover a travel symposium in Italy...next week! No chance of getting new passport in time. Called State Department, expecting endless bureaucracy, got helpful advice on first ring. Used automated system to schedule interview in Seattle, got appointment within the hour. Impressive staff at Passport Office. At least one federal agency doing things right, makes leaving home a breeze.

Sadly, not so easy for foreigners to visit US. "Rude immigration officials and visa delays keep millions of foreign visitors away from the United States, hurt the country’s already battered image, and cost the U.S. billions of dollars in lost revenue," according to a Discover America Partnership report.

No surprise: the value of international tourism has never been appreciated by most Americans. We have 15 times the population of Australia, for instance, but the government Down Under spends 15 times as much as Uncle Sam to promote tourism, over 200 times as much per citizen. Two cents for the US, four bucks for the Aussies. "G'day" brings in billions.

No wonder that the perception (let alone the reality) that we're a xenophobic nation hurts the domestic tourism industry. (Latest estimates: $40 billion a year in lost revenue.) We need to dust off that welcome mat. Homeland Security could take a few lessons from State about customer service.

Posted by Ronald Holden at November 21, 2006 9:53 AM

The International Kitchen
Cooking school vacations in Italy, France & Spain.

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