A requirement that foreign tourists e-mail our government to reveal their travel plans ("We're hoping to visit Aunt Sadie") is the latest brainchild of the Department of Homeland Security. Curiously enough, the proposal (which Congress has adopted) was not accompanied by a request for the many millions of dollars needed to hire the analysts that will now need to read those e-mails. And if a tourist writes "We're hoping to visit Aunt Sadie," what in the world will those analysts recommend? That FBI agents shadow the foreign tourists starting with their arrival?

This is the latest in a number of steps that have reduced foreign tourism to the United States by nearly 20 per cent since the year 2000. The result is a loss of tens of billions of dollars in revenue and hundreds of thousands of jobs. A recent letter to me from two New Zealanders sums up the feelings of many foreign citizens about trips to the U.S.A.:

There is no doubt in my mind that your country is less of an attraction to me, my family and my fellow New Zealanders since 9/11. Not just because of the understandable extra security measures, but because of the over zealous attitude towards genuine travellers.

Los Angeles airport is known by our friends as "Hell A." Even for transit passengers, procedures here make travel to and thru the USA very much less appealing than pre 9/11.

Our last vacations we have travelled to Europe via Hong Kong to avoid the nonsense that is taking place at your borders.

Air New Zealand's service to Europe via Hong Kong is so popular that they are scheduling extra flights. The general feeling here is that it is not worth the humiliation and hassle of travelling to the USA

We used to travel frequently to the USA for business and vacations and we love your country and the people but until we are made to feel "welcome" again by your government and its agencies we won't be returning.

--John & Anne, Auckland, NZ

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Labels: passports, red tape