Special Report
National Arab-US Chamber of Commerce, September 10 2004
The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) says that over three years, the loss of international travel to the U.S has cost the U.S. economy $15.3 billion in expenditures. The Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) notes, “If new procedures turn away desirable Saudi visitors, U.S. education, business travel, and tourism industries could easily lose an estimated $4.7 billion in Saudi travel revenue over the next decade.”
During 2000-02, according to data in the U.S. Commerce Department’s “Survey of Current Business” (October 2003), total receipts from the Arab world dropped by nearly half.. PDF