The UK's Daily Mail is picking up on a comment made earlier this week by London's Mayor, Ken Livingstone, regarding the treatment of foreign business travelers by UK immigration staff, in its enlightening article “Welcome to America … from Mickey the immigration officer” .
London's Mayor had accused immigration staff at Heathrow Airport of being racist and deterring business travel with their behavior.
While that particular aspect is not in question in the US, the recent announcement that the Department of Homeland Security will soon begin taking fingerprints of all 10 fingers from non-US visitors has led to speculations of a further drop in US tourism. Already, processing for non-US passengers to the US takes three times longer, and tourism organizations expect to see adverse effects once this new rule is enforced.
Enter the Daily Mail and its article on how officials are teaming up with Disney to make entry into the US an altogether more enjoyable experience:
“But now officials are responding to the criticism by employing Disney's recipe for tirelessly upbeat and helpful customer service in an attempt to get the free-spending British back, particularly with the pound at nearly two dollars.
Immigration officers will be taught the secrets of Disney theme parks by learning how to welcome visitors, manage large queues and respond to ‘negative reaction’ from the public without letting their smiles slip.
A spokeswoman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement last night confirmed the initiative.
She said: “There has been a problem in the way we have been perceived in countries including Britain, and we are working very closely with Disney.
“They have offered suggestions about how we can improve the entire arrivals process.”
The move is being run by the Discover America Partnership, set up by the US Government to tackle what it calls the nation's ‘image crisis’ abroad. It aims to attract ten million more visitors a year to the US.
Perhaps the immigration officers at Heathrow could get a pointer or two from their American counterparts – because….”It's a small world after all..It's a small, small world..”
