Anywhere But Here

From Bloomberg Worldwide News, comes the news that we are still # 1 in some things -- of course, not necessarily good things -- World's `Worst' Visa System Scares Business Away From the U.S.:

For growing numbers of international business travelers, visa and customs regulations are making trips to the U.S. a thing of the past.

Companies say U.S. rules have become so onerous in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that it's often simpler to meet customers, business partners and employees elsewhere. Exxon Mobil Corp. has resorted to customer meetings in a London branch office; Ingersoll-Rand Co. says it took one of its Indian engineers three 18-hour trips to get his U.S. visa.

Problems created by the entry requirements have become so evident that the man who initially helped enforce them -- Tom Ridge, the first U.S. secretary of Homeland Security -- is now working with a business group to change them.

* * * *

The number of business travelers to the U.S. fell 10 percent in 2005 from the previous year . . . foreign travelers found that the U.S. entry process was rated the ``worst'' by a margin of more than two to one.

Roger Dow, president and chief executive officer of the Washington-based Travel Industry Association, says the situation ``is going to have disastrous implications'' for the U.S. economy unless changes are made. The National Foreign Trade Council says the entry rules cost U.S. businesses $31 billion in lost sales and higher expenses between 2002 and 2004.

Just one more thing to thank George Bush & his Administration for. Add it to the list.

Tags: News, Bush, Travel