( CNN ) -- Martin Liefeldt has vacationed in the United States four times , and his experience entering the country has `` steadily declined . '' `` Last time , I was made to feel most unwelcome , '' wrote Liefeldt , a general manager from Cape Town , South Africa , via e-mail . `` I understand the huge levels of paranoia that exist in the USA , but a bit of training in welcoming visitors ( and their money ) to the USA might go a long way , '' he wrote . After a long overseas flight , visitors to the U.S. just want to land on terra firma , get some rest and get on with their business or leisure activities . But there are a few more hurdles to getting out of the airport , and a survey released Tuesday suggests that clearing Customs and Border Protection is a big one . The government 's recent forced budget cuts are likely to make Customs lines still more daunting . `` When you 're greeted with something that 's less than welcoming , that first taste in your mouth is quite disconcerting , '' said Geoff Freeman , chief operating officer of the U.S. Travel Association , the industry trade group that conducted the survey in partnership with Consensus Research . In the survey , 43 % of the travelers who have visited the U.S. said they would discourage others from making the trip because of the entry process . The survey , which included responses from 1,200 overseas travelers , also found that more than two out of five potential business travelers wo n't come to the U.S. in the next five years for the same reason . About 64 % of responders said they were frustrated by long lines and wait times . The survey was conducted in 2012 , before the forced government spending cuts under the sequester went into effect on March 1 . Yet the government spending cuts are likely to make the entry process `` exponentially worse '' for travelers , Freeman said . Automatic budget reductions must be applied to nearly every Department of Homeland Security program , including Customs and Border Protection , and `` will negatively affect the mission readiness and capabilities of the men and women on our front lines , '' the agency said in a statement responding to questions about sequestration . `` CBP is working to minimize impacts to travelers to the greatest degree possible while maintaining the highest standards of security . '' From March 5 to 11 , passengers on 260 flights experienced Customs wait times of more than two hours , with some waits lasting more than three hours , the agency said . The U.S. Travel Association estimates that losing overseas travelers to bad experiences or word-of-mouth is costing the economy at least $ 95 billion in total output and more than a half million jobs across the economy . Customs and Border Protection , which has developed programs in recent years to speed entry for trusted travelers who undergo prior screening , interviewed more than 25,000 travelers at U.S. airports in July and August 2012 for its second customer satisfaction survey . `` The survey is expected to be released this spring ; however , early results indicate that a large percentage of travelers agree the CBP process made them feel welcome to the United States , '' CBP said of its survey . Overall , international arrivals to the U.S. are up . The U.S. Commerce Department expects 23 % growth in the number of annual international visitors by 2016 . That number includes arrivals from Mexico and Canada , which account for much of the growth . Overseas arrivals , excluding Mexico and Canada , are also up , but the United States ' market share of overseas travelers has dropped from 17 % in 2000 to 12 % in 2011 , Freeman said . U.S. Travel puts forward a three-pronged approach to welcoming international travelers to the United States : promoting the U.S. to international visitors , easing the process for getting visas and making the entry experience a smooth one . To compete with other countries in promoting tourism , the United States ' first national tourism corporation , Brand USA , was established through the Travel Promotion Act in 2010 . The U.S. State Department has done `` tremendous work '' in speeding up the visa process , Freeman said , and posts visa interview wait times on consulate websites . Customs and Border Protection needs to adopt similar transparency , he said , in addition to committing to 30 minutes or less to process each arriving traveler and hiring an additional 1,000 officers to make the entry process more efficient . In an era when Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has cautioned travelers to expect long airport security and customs lines because of worker overtime cuts and furloughs , finding the estimated $ 150 million to pay for those additional workers seems unlikely . U.S. Travel says easing the entry process is worth the investment . `` It 's time to get this fixed , '' Freeman said . `` Our economy ca n't afford this kind of inefficiency . '' What do you think ? What have you experienced in the U.S. or other countries ?
Survey : Entry process is turning travelers off visiting the U.S. Overseas visitors have increased , but U.S. market share is dropping . `` Last time I was made to feel most unwelcome , '' said a visitor from South Africa .