As the U.S. dollar continues its unprecedented tailspin against other major currencies, there would appear to be at least one silver lining for Americans: foreign travelers flooding our shores in search of bargains, right?

Wrong.

While Americans are still going overseas in droves, undeterred by the prospect of pricier vacations abroad, foreign tourists are also staying away in droves.

It's a trend that has so worried the $700 billion U.S. travel industry that it has hired former Homeland Security chief and Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge to lead a public relations campaign that promotes America as a welcoming travel destination.

"Tourism here should be at an all-time high, but it isn't, and we've got to do something about it," said Mr. Ridge, who last month launched his own worldwide consulting firm, Ridge Global, in Washington D.C.

"I, for one, believe there's no conflict between effective security and remaining connected with the rest of the world," he said, while acknowledging that his new role as head cheerleader for easing travel restrictions is a bit of a departure, since he instituted many of the security measures now blamed for deterring foreign visitors.

Despite the U.S. dollar's unprecedented appeal for foreigners, travel to this country from overseas destinations has fallen nearly 17 percent since the 9/11 attacks -- even as cross-border travel has risen 20 percent worldwide during the same period, he noted.

Besides new security measures, other factors contributing to the decline include lengthy and complicated visa requirements, less-than-friendly treatment by customs officials and an overall perception that the United States no longer welcomes foreigners, said Mr. Ridge. He is working to turn that around by heading an international campaign to lure foreign travelers here with Discover America Partnership, a consortium of travel industry leaders.

"It is a huge problem," he said, adding that he has heard numerous stories about bureaucratic delays -- and worse -- affecting not just individual travelers but huge multinational corporations.

For example, Cisco Systems Chairman John Chambers told Mr. Ridge that a recent event celebrating the achievements of some of the global computer networking giant's overseas employees had to be held with them in absentia because they couldn't get visas in time to fly here.

While Canadians and Mexicans are coming here in increased numbers, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, travelers from countries overseas aren't expected to reach 2000's levels of 26 million until at least 2010 -- despite the crumbling dollar.

Not everyone sees the situation as grim. Arnie Weissman, executive editor of the newsletter Travel Weekly, said he's still seeing lots of foreign shoppers on the streets of New York City.

"There are plenty of Europeans who see America as both an unbelievable bargain and shopping destination and are willing to come here," he said. "It's not a deluge, but if you walk down past the boutiques on Madison Avenue, you'll find the number of shoppers speaking English a minority."

Still, the lack of overseas travelers to the United States isn't just a tourism issue, but one that affects the nation's economy and its public diplomacy, Mr. Ridge said.

"America has to decide that, in addition to anything else we should be doing, our future economy and security is really dependent upon the economic security and prosperity of the rest of the world.

So it's difficult to believe we don't welcome travelers with the same kind of embrace as we did before Sept. 11. We need to get back to being open and the connected country we were on Sept. 10."

Declining foreign tourism has cost the United States $100 billion in lost visitor spending, almost 200,000 jobs and $16 billion in lost tax receipts, he said, citing a recent study he co-authored with Oxford Economics, a U.K.-based economic forecasting firm.

The Discover America Partnership, which includes leaders from the Travel Business Roundtable, Marriott International, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, the Travel Industry Association and other groups, won't say how much money it has spent in its lobbying efforts -- "It's fair to say it's a multimillion dollar campaign" said the group's executive director, Geoff Freeman. But it has been energetically pushing legislation for a $200 million public-private initiative to promote U.S. travel overseas, half financed by fees from visa waiver applications, and half by funding from the travel industry.

The partnership claims such a program would simply bring this country up to speed with the rest of the world: Greece spends $150 million a year on such a program, Australia $113 million and Britain $90 million.

While stressing he is not involved in the partnership's lobbying of Congress, Mr. Ridge has been hitting the television and radio talk show circuit during the past few months to press the travel industry's case, pushing for changes that would make entering this country a smoother process.

Besides advocating more -- and friendlier -- customs agents in the nation's top airports and at border checkpoints, he also wishes that the airlines would spruce up their facilities the way many airports in foreign countries have, he added.

"I don't think you can ignore the fact that, for foreign travelers, our major airports aren't all that appealing. I think there's much more the airlines can do to make the experience more welcoming."

Part of the problem, he says, is funding. While Congress requires foreigners to submit to an interview before granting a visa, lawmakers "haven't been as forthcoming on the resources to provide enough consular officials," he said.

Mr. Ridge says he's also trying to encourage state department officials to add more staff to consulates around the world. Currently, there's a three-month waiting list in India, for example, to even obtain an appointment to request a visa application.

The travel industry's lobbying has paid off. In August, a new law was enacted allowing more international travelers to enter the United States without visas for up to 90 days, including many South Americans.

Currently, 27 nations are allowed visa waivers. But the law will allow more countries to be added to the list if they make certain security improvements.

Nonetheless, the prospect of more countries becoming eligible for visa waivers appalls Michael Cutler, an outspoken critic of the nation's current security system. He was a senior special agent with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service and is a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates tougher enforcement of immigration laws.

When he was a customs inspector at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the 1970s, only one country -- Canada -- was waived from the visa requirement, Mr. Cutler noted. While cumbersome, the visa application process is an effective means to screen out potential terrorists, he insists, and if anything, the number of countries eligible for visa waivers should be reduced, not increased.

"By all means, hire more people to staff the consulates to reduce the waiting lists for applications, but don't throw the baby out with the bath water," he said.

"People don't want to come to America because the visa process is difficult? They're not getting the warm fuzzies from customs officials? This is nonsense. If you want to drive a car, you may have to kill a couple of days at the Department of Motor Vehicles, it's that simple."

Mr. Ridge, however, believes that the correct balance can be achieved, if a little more sensitivity is added to the mix.

"While the bad experiences are actually small in number, they unfortunately create a ripple effect of negative impressions," he said.