Was U.S. airports and federal immigration onerous security to blame? The New York Times asked the question, and the answer seems to be: Maybe.

As the Times reported, during the Q & A session after Chicago’s official “pick me!” presentation, an IOC official from Pakistan noted that entering the U.S. can be “a rather harrowing experience”.

Which prompted this response from the U.S. Travel Association:

“We need to take seriously the challenge of reforming our entry process to ensure there is a welcome mat to our friends around the world, even as we ensure a secure system.” -Roger Dow, Pres. and CEO, U.S. Travel Association

Something else: the U.S. Senate has now approved legislation to lure foreign tourist by creating a “Corporation for Travel Promotion” – but as I noted a few months back, it would penalize the very people we want to lure here:

“In a stupefying display of absurdity, the corporation would be funded in part by a $10 fee collected from – yes – foreign tourists!” - Rick Seaney, June 19, 2009

Now the bill gets referred to a House committee – let’s see what happens…