In his pitch to the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen last week, President Obama spoke about what he sees as the enduring value of the Olympic competition: “It brings us together, if only for a few weeks, face to face. It helps us understand one another just a little bit better. It reminds us that no matter how or where we differ, we all seek our own measure of happiness, and fulfillment, and pride in what we do. That’s a very powerful starting point for progress.”
Unfortunately, the Chicago bid raised questions about whether visitors might find it too difficult to enter the United States for the Olympic Games. According to a recent report by the New York Times’ Michelle Higgins, “Syed Shahid Ali, an [International Olympic Committee] member from Pakistan, in the question-and-answer session following Chicago’s official presentation, pointed out that entering the United States can be ‘a rather harrowing experience.’” This comment speaks to the reality that the level of indignities facing some visitors at our borders continues to negatively impact America’s reputation around the world as a welcoming destination.
News media and blogs in the United States and around the world regularly describe the harrowing experiences of visitors at U.S. airports and in encounters with immigration officials. These experiences have a real cost, and it’s more than just a public relations problem. As people around the world make their choices about where to travel, they are too often choosing not to come here, and that has serious implications well beyond the Olympics – for tourism, business, research, and education in our country. Unfortunately, the question of how we ensure that we meet our country’s legitimate security needs while presenting a welcoming face to the world isn’t even on the radar in the current debate about comprehensive immigration reform.
President Obama made clear in his speech at Cairo University in Egypt earlier this year that he is committed to expanding educational exchange programs between the United States and other countries. In order for the promise of that commitment to become a reality, this situation must change.
I am an avid supporter of international exchange and even as an American Citizen have had first hand experience of the harrowing experience of dealing with CBP. But your statement “As people around the world make their choices about where to travel, they are too often choosing not to come here” needs to be supported by facts. In 2008 a record number of visitors came to the US topping 50 million (http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/outreachpages/inbound. general_information.inbound_overview.html). The 2009 decrease can probably be attributed to the economy more than anticipated negativity at the ports of entry. The problems with CBP are many, but documented cases, surveys or other data are necessary in order to change the experience of a visitor coming to the US.
The failed Chicago bid should certainly raise some questions about US policies.
Thanks for the comments. No doubt the global economic situation is having an impact on travel worldwide. Port-of-entry issues are only part of the picture. The statistics on entries to the United States, while an interesting resource, can only tell us so much when it comes to visa and immigration policy issues that may be affecting travel to our country. Those numbers, generated by the Department of Homeland Security, do not count unique visitors. So one visitor who travels in and out of the United States several times over a one-year period is counted again at each entry into the country. An increase in numbers of entries may suggest an overall increase in the number of visitors, but not necessarily. According to the U.S. Travel Association, “the U.S. welcomed 634,000 fewer overseas visitors in 2008 than in 2000.” (http://www.poweroftravel.org/statistics/trends.htm)
Unfortunately, there are no statistics that can tell us how many people are opting not to come to the United States at all, due to a variety of concerns. What we know from anecdotal evidence, and many press reports, is that immigration policies and border issues are a significant factor. The concern is about the ripple effect: If enough people have bad experiences and they go home and tell others – or they talk about them at the International Olympic Committee meeting – it does have an impact on travel to the U.S.
We look forward to seeing more comments on this important issue.