Airport Security Called Foreign Tourism Threat

Travel executives said the nation’s $91-billion foreign tourism industry is in peril because of a growing perception overseas that the United States has become “Fortress America.”

Travel industry executives complained that the post-Sept. 11 security crackdown at airports -- especially widely publicized incidents in which visitors were searched, interrogated and put on a plane back home -- has discouraged tourism.

Travel to the United States was down 17% in the first six months of 2002, according to the travel industry group.