Open up US to more tourists

Opinion: May 31, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Kansas City Star: In the decade since 9/11, the United States has chased away $500 billion from wannabe tourists unwilling to put up with tougher American tourism requirements.

Clearly, change is needed, and it could bring economic benefits. The threat of international terrorism is very real, but it is not a uniquely American problem. France, for instance, has similar fears. Yet despite being much smaller and a less attractive destination for Chinese tourists, France brought in a million of them in 2010. The United States allowed just 800,000 to visit.

In fact, a U.S. Travel and Tourism Association report indicates this country remains the top dream destination for travelers around the globe. Restrictions placed on visitors as anti-terror measures, however, mean we’ve lost 17 percent of our tourist market in a decade when tourism boomed.

Residents of all but 27 countries need visas to visit America. Getting those visas means face-to-face interviews, and waits for those interviews can exceed 100 days — encouraging too many visitors to look elsewhere.

One needed reform: Have more employees available to interview visa applicants. Tourism officials note that each interviewer leads to $1 million in tourism revenue. Another needed change is to lower restrictions on repeat visitors, especially business travelers who return for personal reasons.