The decline in overseas travel to the US has cost the tourism industry 46 million visitors and US$140bn (£78bn, 98bn euro) in lost visitor spending, according to the Travel Industry Association (TIA).

Geoff Freeman, a spokesperson for TIA, said that the decline is directly linked to the 11 September terrorist attacks.

"The United States is a travel bargain with the dollar at an all-time low and yet we welcomed two million fewer overseas visitors in 2007 than 2000," said Freeman.

Delivering a report on the state of the industry to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection of the US Congress, Freeman said that if the US had kept pace with global travel trends in 2007, an additional 340,000 jobs would have been created.

"It is time for a concerted effort to change the global perception that visitors are no longer welcome."

Freeman also voiced his support for the Travel Promotion Act, introduced by William Delahunt and Roy Blunt, which aims to establish a public-private partnership to promote the US as a premier international travel destination.

"The Travel Promotion Act will strengthen America’s economy and standing in the world," Freeman added.

According to TIA figures, overseas visitors to the US stay longer and spend more than domestic travelers or visitors from Canada and Mexico.