I hope you were able to tune in and listen to The Bite this week. Our guest was Sally Berry and we talked about marketing on social networks. If you want to learn more about Sally her contact is below:
Sally Berry, CMP
President
Bristol Creek Tourism Consulting,LLC
5408 Lower Egypt Rd.
Canandaigua, NY 14424
ph:(585)229-7030
sally@bristolcreekconsulting.com
www.bristolcreekconsulting.com
Twitter @sallykberry
Blog: www.sallyberry.wordpress.com
If you want to hear the episode click below.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btsq/2010/01/20/the-bite-with-eric-gordon
I mentioned on the January 13th show that my trip to Egypt was fantastic. If anyone is thinking about sending groups or FITs to Egypt, I can highly recommend The Touring Club of Egypt. They are a top notch company and very reliable. I know this from experience as in my old life I worked with them and know the owners for about 12 years. Please call upon them. You will be happy you did. The information is
Aly Sidky
Owner
Touring Club Of Egypt
8 Al Obour Buildings
Salah Salem Road, Nasr City.
Cairo, Egypt.
Tel: 26272222 / 24049110 / 24034761
Fax: 22635253
touring@touringclubofegypt.com
www.touringclubofegypt.com
If you want to listen to the Radio Show please click below
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btsq/2010/01/13/the-bite-with-eric-gordon
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tavern on the Green preps for final service
Tavern on the Green preps for final service
Published: December 30, 2009 - 10:26 am
Crains New York Business
(AP) - Tavern on the Green, once America's highest-grossing restaurant, is singing its culinary swan song.
The former sheepfold at the edge of Central Park, now ringed by twinkling lights and fake topiary animals, is preparing for New Year's Eve, when it will serve its last meal. Just three years ago, it was plating more than 700,000 meals annually, bringing in more than $38 million.
But that astronomical sum wasn't enough to keep the landmark restaurant out of bankruptcy court. Its $8 million debt is to be covered at an auction of Baccarat and Waterford chandeliers, Tiffany stained glass, a mural depicting Central Park and other over-the-top decor that has bewitched visitors for decades.
Even the restaurant's name is up for grabs. At stake is whether another restaurateur taking over the 27,000 square feet of space, owned by the city, can reopen as Tavern on the Green.
For 75 years, since it first opened amid the Great Depression, the Tavern has attracted clients from around the world.
"This reminds me so much of Poland!" exclaimed Vermont resident Meg Kearton as she entered for her first time in late December. "It reminds me of a restaurant in Warsaw — the grandeur and the colors."
She came for lunch a few days after Christmas, taking in the Tavern's year-round wonderland of lights, flowers and ornamental curved bull's-eye mirrors.
Hanging over the main Crystal Room, an all-glass dining area, is a century-old chandelier made of green glass, said to have been owned by an Indian maharajah. A reindeer whose antlers are decked with red and green ornaments stands at the entrance, and outside is a huge King Kong topiary.
Former owner Warner LeRoy, befitting his heritage as son of a producer of The Wizard of Oz, searched the globe for the whimsical goods after he took over the Tavern's lease in 1973. He died in 2001, and his wife, Kay LeRoy, and daughter Jennifer LeRoy are now the owners.
As the end of the family's operating license approached, the city sought competing bids.
The LeRoys lost to Dean Poll, who operates the stylish Loeb Boathouse restaurant overlooking the Central Park's lake and offered to invest $25 million on Tavern renovations. The city awarded him a 20-year license in August, citing his vision and significant capital investment.
The LeRoys, employing more than 400 unionized employees with full benefits, couldn't match that. As the recession hit, they accrued more than 450 debtors.
A spokeswoman for the company running the Tavern on the Green auction said the LeRoys couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
The decisive moment in the intellectual-property dispute comes in January. That's when a Manhattan federal judge will either side with the city and rule that the moneymaking name Tavern on the Green, valued at about $19 million, belongs to whomever operates the space or say the LeRoys own it.
If the city loses, Mr. Poll will use the name Tavern in the Park, creating a new menu of American cuisine with fresh seasonal ingredients and reopening by March, said his attorney, Barry LePatner.
"We're going to bring the park into the restaurant," said Mr. LePatner, by eliminating the thick shrubbery around the premises to reveal Sheep Meadow, where the animals grazed until 1934, housed in the Victorian Gothic shed that is part of the restaurant.
Everything that fills the current restaurant will be for sale starting Jan. 13, at a Guernsey's auction.
Some of the items were once a backdrop for private milestone events as well as public celebrations from film productions and political gatherings to the special carb-loading dinner on the eve of the New York Marathon.
Recently, as many as 1,500 meals could be served a day, with dinner entrees costing $26 to $42 on a menu heavy with meat and potato dishes, plus standard seafood and a few forays into foreign fare such as risotto.
Not everyone drips with praise for this "tourist trap," as one blogger on the Web site Yelp called it.
A fellow Yelp blogger didn't mince words: "Besides my risotto being just eh, and besides finding a small bug on my plate, I had a fiasco getting my jacket from the coat check."
That didn't deter a smiling Diane Allen-Smith from coming for a lunch with her husband in December, three years after their Tavern wedding, on a visit from Boca Raton, Fla.
"Our wedding food was wonderful," she said. "And we didn't have to do anything for the rest."
A New York magazine reviewer once asked, "So what if the Eisenhower-era menu is strictly an afterthought?"
But the things that annoy some about Tavern on the Green are exactly what made it irresistible to fans, including three generations of a family from New York's northern suburbs.
"My parents brought us here," said Lisa Holz, who brought along her daughters, 4-year-old Kayla and 7-year-old Lisa, and her husband and parents.
It would be her last time at the old Tavern on the Green, and she got sentimental.
"When I was little," she said. "I remember getting tears in my eyes when I looked at all the lights and colors."
©Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Published: December 30, 2009 - 10:26 am
Crains New York Business
(AP) - Tavern on the Green, once America's highest-grossing restaurant, is singing its culinary swan song.
The former sheepfold at the edge of Central Park, now ringed by twinkling lights and fake topiary animals, is preparing for New Year's Eve, when it will serve its last meal. Just three years ago, it was plating more than 700,000 meals annually, bringing in more than $38 million.
But that astronomical sum wasn't enough to keep the landmark restaurant out of bankruptcy court. Its $8 million debt is to be covered at an auction of Baccarat and Waterford chandeliers, Tiffany stained glass, a mural depicting Central Park and other over-the-top decor that has bewitched visitors for decades.
Even the restaurant's name is up for grabs. At stake is whether another restaurateur taking over the 27,000 square feet of space, owned by the city, can reopen as Tavern on the Green.
For 75 years, since it first opened amid the Great Depression, the Tavern has attracted clients from around the world.
"This reminds me so much of Poland!" exclaimed Vermont resident Meg Kearton as she entered for her first time in late December. "It reminds me of a restaurant in Warsaw — the grandeur and the colors."
She came for lunch a few days after Christmas, taking in the Tavern's year-round wonderland of lights, flowers and ornamental curved bull's-eye mirrors.
Hanging over the main Crystal Room, an all-glass dining area, is a century-old chandelier made of green glass, said to have been owned by an Indian maharajah. A reindeer whose antlers are decked with red and green ornaments stands at the entrance, and outside is a huge King Kong topiary.
Former owner Warner LeRoy, befitting his heritage as son of a producer of The Wizard of Oz, searched the globe for the whimsical goods after he took over the Tavern's lease in 1973. He died in 2001, and his wife, Kay LeRoy, and daughter Jennifer LeRoy are now the owners.
As the end of the family's operating license approached, the city sought competing bids.
The LeRoys lost to Dean Poll, who operates the stylish Loeb Boathouse restaurant overlooking the Central Park's lake and offered to invest $25 million on Tavern renovations. The city awarded him a 20-year license in August, citing his vision and significant capital investment.
The LeRoys, employing more than 400 unionized employees with full benefits, couldn't match that. As the recession hit, they accrued more than 450 debtors.
A spokeswoman for the company running the Tavern on the Green auction said the LeRoys couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
The decisive moment in the intellectual-property dispute comes in January. That's when a Manhattan federal judge will either side with the city and rule that the moneymaking name Tavern on the Green, valued at about $19 million, belongs to whomever operates the space or say the LeRoys own it.
If the city loses, Mr. Poll will use the name Tavern in the Park, creating a new menu of American cuisine with fresh seasonal ingredients and reopening by March, said his attorney, Barry LePatner.
"We're going to bring the park into the restaurant," said Mr. LePatner, by eliminating the thick shrubbery around the premises to reveal Sheep Meadow, where the animals grazed until 1934, housed in the Victorian Gothic shed that is part of the restaurant.
Everything that fills the current restaurant will be for sale starting Jan. 13, at a Guernsey's auction.
Some of the items were once a backdrop for private milestone events as well as public celebrations from film productions and political gatherings to the special carb-loading dinner on the eve of the New York Marathon.
Recently, as many as 1,500 meals could be served a day, with dinner entrees costing $26 to $42 on a menu heavy with meat and potato dishes, plus standard seafood and a few forays into foreign fare such as risotto.
Not everyone drips with praise for this "tourist trap," as one blogger on the Web site Yelp called it.
A fellow Yelp blogger didn't mince words: "Besides my risotto being just eh, and besides finding a small bug on my plate, I had a fiasco getting my jacket from the coat check."
That didn't deter a smiling Diane Allen-Smith from coming for a lunch with her husband in December, three years after their Tavern wedding, on a visit from Boca Raton, Fla.
"Our wedding food was wonderful," she said. "And we didn't have to do anything for the rest."
A New York magazine reviewer once asked, "So what if the Eisenhower-era menu is strictly an afterthought?"
But the things that annoy some about Tavern on the Green are exactly what made it irresistible to fans, including three generations of a family from New York's northern suburbs.
"My parents brought us here," said Lisa Holz, who brought along her daughters, 4-year-old Kayla and 7-year-old Lisa, and her husband and parents.
It would be her last time at the old Tavern on the Green, and she got sentimental.
"When I was little," she said. "I remember getting tears in my eyes when I looked at all the lights and colors."
©Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Times Square awaits city's call on no-cars test
Times Square awaits city's call on no-cars test
By Lisa Fickenscher
Crain's New York Business
Published: December 23, 2009 - 9:58 am
As 2009 winds down, Times Square businesses are anxiously waiting for the city to make two key decisions that will have a major impact on the neighborhood.
The city's controversial experiment with pedestrian plazas on Broadway, which began in May, ends this year. And it is unclear whether the city will make the changes permanent, redesign the plazas or scrap the plan.
The plazas are the reason the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was moved this year from Broadway to Seventh Avenue. The parade route next year is also now in question.
“We will continue to consult with our city agency partners to determine the best path, but Macy's is keeping all of its options open,” said Robin Hall, executive producer of the Macy's parade. “We will reexamine all of the potential routes available, including Sixth Avenue, to ensure that we are able to deliver the best parade experience for the maximum number of spectators.”
The Times Square community, however, is not happy about the uncertainty.
Over the past couple of weeks a number of organizations, including the Broadway Association, the Times Square Alliance, the Mayor's Midtown Committee and the Times Square Advertising Coalition, have been meeting to discuss the parade route, according to Mike Stengel, general manager of the Marriott Marquis New York hotel. The business groups have also been writing letters to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, advocating for the parade route to remain on Seventh Avenue.
The parade decision will hinge, in part, on the future of the pedestrian plazas. A spokesman for the mayor said: “The city will look at [the pedestrian pilot] through the end of the year. The mayor will evaluate the program and make a decision. We haven't got there yet.”
At issue for businesses located in Times Square is whether the crowds of parade spectators, overnight visitors to the city and television viewers have a view of Times Square during the event.
Companies that own the electronic flashing signs say moving the parade to Sixth Avenue would have a negative impact on their business. Hotels located in Times Square also fear losing guests.
According to people familiar with the situation, Macy's favors Sixth Avenue because the parade would not have to make turns, as it did briefly on to Broadway this year. The turns in the route are seen as a safety issue by some.
By Lisa Fickenscher
Crain's New York Business
Published: December 23, 2009 - 9:58 am
As 2009 winds down, Times Square businesses are anxiously waiting for the city to make two key decisions that will have a major impact on the neighborhood.
The city's controversial experiment with pedestrian plazas on Broadway, which began in May, ends this year. And it is unclear whether the city will make the changes permanent, redesign the plazas or scrap the plan.
The plazas are the reason the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was moved this year from Broadway to Seventh Avenue. The parade route next year is also now in question.
“We will continue to consult with our city agency partners to determine the best path, but Macy's is keeping all of its options open,” said Robin Hall, executive producer of the Macy's parade. “We will reexamine all of the potential routes available, including Sixth Avenue, to ensure that we are able to deliver the best parade experience for the maximum number of spectators.”
The Times Square community, however, is not happy about the uncertainty.
Over the past couple of weeks a number of organizations, including the Broadway Association, the Times Square Alliance, the Mayor's Midtown Committee and the Times Square Advertising Coalition, have been meeting to discuss the parade route, according to Mike Stengel, general manager of the Marriott Marquis New York hotel. The business groups have also been writing letters to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, advocating for the parade route to remain on Seventh Avenue.
The parade decision will hinge, in part, on the future of the pedestrian plazas. A spokesman for the mayor said: “The city will look at [the pedestrian pilot] through the end of the year. The mayor will evaluate the program and make a decision. We haven't got there yet.”
At issue for businesses located in Times Square is whether the crowds of parade spectators, overnight visitors to the city and television viewers have a view of Times Square during the event.
Companies that own the electronic flashing signs say moving the parade to Sixth Avenue would have a negative impact on their business. Hotels located in Times Square also fear losing guests.
According to people familiar with the situation, Macy's favors Sixth Avenue because the parade would not have to make turns, as it did briefly on to Broadway this year. The turns in the route are seen as a safety issue by some.
Intermediaries sue New York City over new hotel tax
Intermediaries sue New York City over new hotel tax
By: Michelle Baran
Travel Weekly
December 22, 2009
Online travel companies, ASTA and the U.S. Tour Operators Association filed a lawsuit Monday against New York City, challenging the legality and constitutionality of the city's recently amended hotel occupancy tax.
The tax requires resellers of New York hotel rooms to remit a tax based on the full retail rate paid by the customer as a "condition of occupancy," including some service fees and charges. The amended occupancy tax went into effect Sept. 1.
The new tax "illegally attempts to extend the New York City hotel room occupancy tax to amounts charged by third-party travel intermediaries for their services," the lawsuit claims.
The case brought together the interests of online travel companies, travel agents and tour operators, all of whom have expressed outrage with New York’s newly amended hotel tax.
The lawsuit was filed in New York State Supreme Court by several online travel companies -- including Expedia, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Orbitz and Travelocity -- as well as ASTA and the USTOA. The city and its finance department were named as defendants.
The plaintiffs claim that the amended tax is unconstitutional under New York state law.
Third-party travel intermediaries, including travel agents, tour operators and OTAs, "do not provide or grant hotel occupancy. They do not charge rent for their services. They do not typically buy, take title to, or obtain any possessory interest in any New York City hotel rooms," the suit claims.
The complaint goes on to state that "the amounts the plaintiffs earn for facilitating the booking of hotel rooms are not a 'condition of occupancy.'
"Indeed, travelers could book the exact same rooms directly with hotels without the use of an intermediary. The compensation earned by plaintiffs for serving as intermediaries who facilitate the booking of hotel rooms in New York City is therefore not properly subject to the occupancy tax."
By: Michelle Baran
Travel Weekly
December 22, 2009
Online travel companies, ASTA and the U.S. Tour Operators Association filed a lawsuit Monday against New York City, challenging the legality and constitutionality of the city's recently amended hotel occupancy tax.
The tax requires resellers of New York hotel rooms to remit a tax based on the full retail rate paid by the customer as a "condition of occupancy," including some service fees and charges. The amended occupancy tax went into effect Sept. 1.
The new tax "illegally attempts to extend the New York City hotel room occupancy tax to amounts charged by third-party travel intermediaries for their services," the lawsuit claims.
The case brought together the interests of online travel companies, travel agents and tour operators, all of whom have expressed outrage with New York’s newly amended hotel tax.
The lawsuit was filed in New York State Supreme Court by several online travel companies -- including Expedia, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Orbitz and Travelocity -- as well as ASTA and the USTOA. The city and its finance department were named as defendants.
The plaintiffs claim that the amended tax is unconstitutional under New York state law.
Third-party travel intermediaries, including travel agents, tour operators and OTAs, "do not provide or grant hotel occupancy. They do not charge rent for their services. They do not typically buy, take title to, or obtain any possessory interest in any New York City hotel rooms," the suit claims.
The complaint goes on to state that "the amounts the plaintiffs earn for facilitating the booking of hotel rooms are not a 'condition of occupancy.'
"Indeed, travelers could book the exact same rooms directly with hotels without the use of an intermediary. The compensation earned by plaintiffs for serving as intermediaries who facilitate the booking of hotel rooms in New York City is therefore not properly subject to the occupancy tax."
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Who Killed Rock and Roll?
Rock and Roll Hall leaving NYC
Published: December 4, 2009 - 11:32 am
(AP) - The year-old New York City annex to Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will shut down Jan. 3.
A news release issued Thursday by S2BN Entertainment, a partner in the venture, gave no reason for the closing.
Rock hall Chief Executive Terry Stewart tells The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland the decision was made by corporate partners who had backed the $10 million annex in downtown Manhattan.
Backers had hoped to attract up to a half-million visitors annually but have not said what attendance was.
Messages were left Friday for both S2BN Entertainment and rock hall officials.
The collection displayed at the annex includes Bruce Springsteen's 1957 Chevy. The rock hall says some of the artifacts could become part of a traveling show.
©Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Published: December 4, 2009 - 11:32 am
(AP) - The year-old New York City annex to Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will shut down Jan. 3.
A news release issued Thursday by S2BN Entertainment, a partner in the venture, gave no reason for the closing.
Rock hall Chief Executive Terry Stewart tells The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland the decision was made by corporate partners who had backed the $10 million annex in downtown Manhattan.
Backers had hoped to attract up to a half-million visitors annually but have not said what attendance was.
Messages were left Friday for both S2BN Entertainment and rock hall officials.
The collection displayed at the annex includes Bruce Springsteen's 1957 Chevy. The rock hall says some of the artifacts could become part of a traveling show.
©Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Art galleries create citywide event
Art galleries create citywide event
By Miriam Kreinin Souccar
Published: November 13, 2009 - 1:30 pm
The art market is showing signs of a recovery, but New York's dealers aren't taking any chances.
A group of around 50 galleries is joining forces to create a new event called New York Gallery Week. The inaugural affair will take place over the weekend of May 7, timed to coincide with the beginning of the spring auction season.
The program will feature parties, panel discussions and gallery tours in an effort to get people to visit galleries rather than just coming to New York for the major art fairs like The Armory Show. The group of galleries, which includes big names like David Zwirner, is inviting curators from around the country to speak, and is working on a Web site.
“We're trying to invigorate people to come to galleries again and to invigorate sales,” said Jason Murison, manager of Friedrich Petzel Gallery, one of the event's organizers.
From Crain's New York Business.com
By Miriam Kreinin Souccar
Published: November 13, 2009 - 1:30 pm
The art market is showing signs of a recovery, but New York's dealers aren't taking any chances.
A group of around 50 galleries is joining forces to create a new event called New York Gallery Week. The inaugural affair will take place over the weekend of May 7, timed to coincide with the beginning of the spring auction season.
The program will feature parties, panel discussions and gallery tours in an effort to get people to visit galleries rather than just coming to New York for the major art fairs like The Armory Show. The group of galleries, which includes big names like David Zwirner, is inviting curators from around the country to speak, and is working on a Web site.
“We're trying to invigorate people to come to galleries again and to invigorate sales,” said Jason Murison, manager of Friedrich Petzel Gallery, one of the event's organizers.
From Crain's New York Business.com
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
U.S. Homeland chief defends $10 travel fee
U.S. Homeland chief defends $10 travel fee
Lawmakers warn they could impose similar fees on visiting Americans
By CONSTANT BRAND
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
updated 7:13 p.m. ET, Fri., Nov . 6, 2009
BRUSSELS - European Parliament lawmakers on Friday demanded that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ease restrictions for Europeans traveling to the United States, saying plans to impose a new $10 (euro6.73), entry fee are unfair.
Citizens from many European Union countries already have to fill in an online visa waiver form before they travel to the U.S., but could face an additional charge when they arrive, which many EU officials and lawmakers fear amounts to a new visa restriction.
"The measures ... are even harder than they were under the previous (U.S.) government and that for us is a contradiction that we in the European Parliament cannot accept," Austrian lawmaker Ernst Strasser told Napolitano during a special hearing with her. "We really have to insist on our European values, that European data protection laws and European civil liberties also have to be taken account of."
Dutch lawmaker Sophie in't Veld urged Napolitano to review a controversial anti-terror pact between the EU and the U.S. which sees the transfer of data collected on trans-Atlantic air passengers to U.S. authorities to make sure the data is not being misused.
Many European lawmakers also urged Napolitano to persuade the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama to ditch the planned $10 fee.
Napolitano said she could accept a review of the existing transfer of airline passenger data deal, but rejected calls to drop the new fee, which the U.S. Congress passed in September, but still has to be signed by Obama.
"Unlike many of your countries, the United States does not have a separate agency to promote tourism and travel, and so the goal of this is to use that to actually fund and help tourists and travelers who wish to come to the United States," Napolitano said. "In that respect I think that it is not only reasonable but in these days of reduced government budgets, it's the way to fund that."
The United States began requiring people who do not need visas to enter America to register online at least 72 hours before travel and to renew their registration every two years. Under the proposed plan, visitors would have to pay the $10 fee when they register.
On top of this, Europeans along with many other international visitors to the U.S. face stepped up identity and travel checks that Washington imposed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Visitors already have to provide fingerprints to U.S. border guards when entering the country, and airlines they use forward data, including passenger names, addresses, seat numbers, credit card information and travel details.
EU lawmakers are angry because Americans visiting European countries such as France, Germany and Italy face no such fees or online checks.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Lawmakers warn they could impose similar fees on visiting Americans
By CONSTANT BRAND
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
updated 7:13 p.m. ET, Fri., Nov . 6, 2009
BRUSSELS - European Parliament lawmakers on Friday demanded that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ease restrictions for Europeans traveling to the United States, saying plans to impose a new $10 (euro6.73), entry fee are unfair.
Citizens from many European Union countries already have to fill in an online visa waiver form before they travel to the U.S., but could face an additional charge when they arrive, which many EU officials and lawmakers fear amounts to a new visa restriction.
"The measures ... are even harder than they were under the previous (U.S.) government and that for us is a contradiction that we in the European Parliament cannot accept," Austrian lawmaker Ernst Strasser told Napolitano during a special hearing with her. "We really have to insist on our European values, that European data protection laws and European civil liberties also have to be taken account of."
Dutch lawmaker Sophie in't Veld urged Napolitano to review a controversial anti-terror pact between the EU and the U.S. which sees the transfer of data collected on trans-Atlantic air passengers to U.S. authorities to make sure the data is not being misused.
Many European lawmakers also urged Napolitano to persuade the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama to ditch the planned $10 fee.
Napolitano said she could accept a review of the existing transfer of airline passenger data deal, but rejected calls to drop the new fee, which the U.S. Congress passed in September, but still has to be signed by Obama.
"Unlike many of your countries, the United States does not have a separate agency to promote tourism and travel, and so the goal of this is to use that to actually fund and help tourists and travelers who wish to come to the United States," Napolitano said. "In that respect I think that it is not only reasonable but in these days of reduced government budgets, it's the way to fund that."
The United States began requiring people who do not need visas to enter America to register online at least 72 hours before travel and to renew their registration every two years. Under the proposed plan, visitors would have to pay the $10 fee when they register.
On top of this, Europeans along with many other international visitors to the U.S. face stepped up identity and travel checks that Washington imposed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Visitors already have to provide fingerprints to U.S. border guards when entering the country, and airlines they use forward data, including passenger names, addresses, seat numbers, credit card information and travel details.
EU lawmakers are angry because Americans visiting European countries such as France, Germany and Italy face no such fees or online checks.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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