A group of major travel brands have urged the government to cut waiting times at US border control points, saying long entry delays are not a "welcoming environment" for foreign visitors.
In an open letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, they said customs delays, which can last up to four hours, are hurting the economy and discourage overseas tourists from returning.
The letter was sent by the US Travel Association on behalf of a group of major travel industry players including Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hilton International, Orbitz Worldwide, several regional tourism offices and US international airports.
The group wants to see at least 1,000 additional Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff deployed at the nation’s busiest international airports to reduce delay times.
The 2014 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill was recently passed and provides funding for a total of 2,000 new CBP staff this year.
It also called for the use of more effective metrics to monitor passenger flows and to continue the expansion of the Global Entry and Automated Passport Control programs.
In the letter, the US Travel Association highlighted tourism as the best performing export market with overseas visitor spending reaching $99 billion in 2012.
