The U.S. Travel Association (USTA),
recently released the results of a multi-country online survey which links displeasure with wait times and entry procedures at U.S. customs with a growing reluctance by some to travel to the U.S. The survey, conducted by Consensus Research Group, interviewed approximately 1,200 overseas travelers from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, China and Brazil who had visited or considered visiting the U.S. in the last five years. While the results of the survey are startling, Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association said "this is a very fixable problem." Citing the need for more Customs and Border Patrol officers, Dow believes that benefits associated with hiring more officers far outweigh the initial cost and called on Congress and the Obama administration to "immediately provide the resources necessary to efficiently process our nation's guests."