WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. travel industry is bracing for a flat summer season as foreigners defy economic incentives to visit the United States despite a cheap dollar.
Europeans and other non-U.S. residents have apparently decided to vacation elsewhere, prompting the Travel Industry Association to try to refurbish the nation's image.
The association believes the root of the problem is a poor U.S. image abroad, coupled with overblown concerns about visa and security hassles.
"We want to focus on being part of the solution," Rick Webster, the association's director of government affairs told the Christian Science Monitor.
"If there's concern on the part of a potential visitor that the rules (of entry) are too constraining or difficult, that only worsens the image of the U.S. -- and there's a number of reasons why that image is suffering, whether it's concern about the Iraq war and other international engagements by the U.S.," said Webster.
