Travel helps to shape people’s perceptions of other countries, it has been revealed.

Visitors to the US are 74 per cent more likely to have a favourable opinion of America and Americans, according to the Discover America Partnership.

This has been seized upon by leaders of America’s travel industry, who told a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee that tourism offered America the chance to capture the "hearts and minds" of visitors to the US.

Charles L Merin, president of the Travel Business Roundtable, and Geoff Freeman, executive director of the Discover America Partnership, both urged the government to ensure that while border control remained stringent, travellers should be made to feel welcome.

"International travellers represent the opportunity to win the hearts and minds of people around the world. When travellers don’t come here, they learn about America and Americans through headlines rather than personal experiences," said Merin.

"As a nation, we must recognise that the people-to-people communication generated through travel is our greatest public diplomacy tool."

Nearly 60 million fewer travellers have visited the US than expected since 9/11 - causing the loss of 194,000 jobs.

However, the news might also encourage Americans to travel abroad to discover for themselves whether national stereotypes are deserved or not.

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