Leisure travellers shun the U.S

In the meantime, airlines are rolling out US routes in quick succession - the latest being Qatar Airways' Doha to Washington Dulles daily service, launched on July 19.

The airline's general manager, commercial, Ali Al Rais, told Arabian Travel News that sufficient measures had been taken to inform Middle East travellers about security and visa issues.

"I think the US State Department has made it clear to all the passengers going to the US what to expect, and I think over the years since September 11, the department has actually controlled the process and they have simplified it," he said.

The US' Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is working to educate the Middle East's travel industry by attending events like May's Arabian Travel Market and presenting seminars and demonstrating mandatory fingerprinting.

Kimberly Weissman, spokesperson and stakeholder relationship manager for the US DHS US VISIT programme's Office of Outreach and Public Liaison, who attended ATM, agreed that considerable effort had been put into streamlining security procedures.

"We are making immigration procedures more efficient and effective through the use of biometric screening at visa issuing posts internationally and at all of our international ports of entry," she said.

"We can now, within seconds, positively confirm a person's identity against their passport and against our databases by checking two-digital fingerprints and a digital photograph against criminal and immigration violator information."

Airlines are also doing their part to make the process more efficient and easier for travellers from the Middle East.

Ireland's international carrier Aer Lingus, which operates four flights weekly between Dubai and a number of American airports, including Boston, New York, Chicago, Orlando, Washington and San Francisco, via Dublin, allows passenger to complete immigration procedures in Ireland.

"We have immigration personnel from the US immigration department at Dublin Airport itself," explained Aer Lingus GCC manager, Ibrahim S. Menhem.

"At Dublin Airport it is easier to clear customers rather than when you reach New York Airport and there are many people from different countries and the queue is long." Menhem said 80-90% of travellers to the US knew what to expect from the security checks, but agents still claim more trade and consumer education was required in the Middle East market.

"The US Consulate asked UAE travel agents to attend seminars about the visa steps a couple of years back and they used to send us flyers," said Al-Futtaim Travel's Lobo.

"Whatever information we have we pass on to the client, but we always tell them to double check the information with the consulate because it may change and hasn't been upgraded on the system."

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