Business Travel Tips

U.S. visa and customs regulations, heavily enforced after Sept. 11, are making the trips to the United States too onerous for international business travelers.
That negatively affects the U.S. business; below costs and risks.

- The number of business travelers to the United States fell 10 percent in 2005 from the previous year, according to World Travel Market, a London-based trade-show group.
- $31 billion in lost sales and higher expenses from 2002 to 2004 for U.S. businesses according to a The National Foreign Trade Council estimate.
- Foreign travelers choosing other destinations might fuel the growth of rival commercial and financial centers, U.S. business groups say.

So, as companies are pressing their case with the U.S. State Department, Tom Ridge, the first U.S. secretary of homeland security says:

“Our challenge now is to continue to meet our security needs while striking a better balance with how we welcome foreign visitors”

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However, beginning Jan. 23, people from Canada, Mexico, South or Central America and the Caribbean entering the United States by airplane, will be required to present a passport. ( source )