International travel remains one of the few bright spots in a struggling global economy. But America’s visa policies have deterred visitors from our shores, cost hundreds of thousands of jobs and deepened our recession.

The failure to keep pace with the growth in international long-haul travel has cost the U.S. economy $606 billion in total spending, $37 billion in direct tax receipts and 467,000 jobs that could have been supported annually in all regions of the country.

Moreover, our nation’s travel policies discourage companies from using the United States as a destination for training, meetings, major product purchases and business development with international customers and colleagues.