"The number of foreign visitors to the United States has plummeted" since 9/11

[ProSense]

Via Think Progress:

'Unwelcoming' US sees sharp fall in visitors since 9/11

Thu Nov 1, 10:45 PM ET

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"Since September 11, 2001, the United States has experienced a 17 percent decline in overseas travel, costing America 94 billion dollars in lost visitor spending, nearly 200,000 jobs and 16 billion dollars in lost tax revenue," the Discover America advocacy campaign said in a statement.

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"The greatest public diplomacy tool America has is her people. Those who have visited the US and interacted with the American people consistently feel more positive about the US than those who have not visited," the advocacy group says on its website, citing the Global Attitudes Project of the Pew Research Center, a think tank based in Washington.

Last year, only 56 percent of Britons had a positive opinion of the United States compared with 83 percent in 2000, the Pew Global Attitudes report for 2006 shows.

Thirty-nine percent of French people saw the United States in a positive light last year, compared with 62 percent in 2000.

In Turkey 12 percent had good things to say about the United States last year -- 40 percentage points down on 2000.

more

It's not the bureaucracy, it's Bush.

[Atman]

1. Tourism -- another industry Bush has destroyed...but the economy is GREAT!

Keep telling yourselves that. And if you forget how GREAT the economy is doing as you're shelling out $5 for a gallon of milk and $3-plus for gas, and you're running late for your $9/hr job, the corporate media will remind you. Because Christmas is coming. It's a GREAT time to rack up some more debt, just in time for the big recession!

.

[zonmoy]

2. perhaps we should do the final act by putting signs every ten feet on our borders saying

"abandon all hope ye who enter here"

[Mist]

3. Just the cost of being alert to "terra." Actually, I thought it'd be more than 17%. nt

[Mist]

4. I've also wondered if the Cheney/Bush junta has had an effect on

how many foreign students come to American universities.