The US Patriot Act has led to a number of changes, as the American government becomes more stringent about its visa rules. As a result, there were huge delays and backlogs for visa processing, with some instances of visa call dates for tourist visas being given four months after the travel date. Hence the country’s popularity as an outbound destination diminished in 2005, with European destinations, particularly the UK, favoured instead. However, the number of departures to the US still remained ahead of those to the UK.
