By 2 to 1, the USA voted the worst place in the world to visit.

Digby:

It looks like the big money boyz are starting to get nervous:

The United States ranks worst in welcoming foreign business travelers and tourists, due to bureaucratic headaches and rude immigration officials, a survey showed.

[...]

"Foreign travelers are in agreement: the US entry process is unpredictable and unfriendly to foreign visitors, it is hurting America's image abroad and deterring many from visiting the US," said Thomas Riehle, partner, RT Strategies, which conducted the poll.

"These survey results help to explain the 17 percent decline in overseas travel to the US over the past five years and the 10 percent decline in business travel to the US over the past year."

I heard recently that a lot of financial industry business is shifting to Europe because it's just too much trouble to get into the country. The visa process is a nightmare even for people who come back and forth regularly. And treatment at the airports is downright frightening. I'm reminded of this story:

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