The survey showed that the United States was ranked "the worst" in terms of visas and immigration procedures by twice the percentage of travelers as the next destination regarded as unfriendly - the Middle East and the Asian subcontinent.

More than half of the travelers surveyed said US immigration officials were rude and two-thirds said they feared they would be detained on arriving in the United States for a simple mistake in their paperwork or for saying the wrong thing to an immigration official.

The survey was taken between October 25 and November 9 against the backdrop of growing concern in parts of the US business community over a steady decline in the number of foreigners visiting the United States.

"Between 2000 and 2006, the number of overseas visitors, excluding those from Mexico and Canada, has declined by 17 per cent," said Geoff Freeman, executive director of the Discover America Partnership, "and business travel in that period has dropped 10 percent."

Travel Industry Association statistics show that the US share in world tourism declined from 7.4 per cent in 2000 to 6 per cent last year. A one-percentage point increase, according to the association, would mean 7.5 million additional arrivals, $12.3 billion in additional spending, 150,000 additional US jobs, $3.3 billion in additional payroll and $2.1. billion in additional taxes.

With about 50 million visitors a year, the United States is the world's third most-popular destination, after Spain and France.

"The problem is that since September 11, this country has viewed visitors more as a threat than an opportunity," Freeman said. "The entry process has created a climate of fear and frustration that is keeping foreign visitors away."

"Unless Congress understands there is a problem, nothing will be done ... though it wouldn't take much to make a change," Freeman said.

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