International Travelers Say Cumbersome Customs Policies In US Are A Drag
By Jim Melwert
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Many travelers from overseas say they won't come to America because of long waits to get through customs.
According to the report, 43-percent of international travelers polled say they'd tell friends or neighbors back home to avoid coming to the US. And one-in-three say coming through customs and border protection here in the US was the worst they'd ever experienced.
Alex from New York City, passing through at Philadelphia International Airport, says he'd agree with that:
"Yeah, definitely in terms of England, Denmark, Norway, it's just a lot smoother. Even Japan is a lot smoother. I don't know it's a less kind of a neurotic feel, just a general atmosphere."
The study was done for the lobbying firm US travel association, which warns it could cost the US economy billions of dollars. It surveyed 1,200 travelers from Great Britain, Germany, Japan, France, Brazil and China from January to October of last year.
