The chief executive of the country's largest travel industry group praised Tucson on Monday for its efforts to promote itself as a tourism destination.

But he also warned that tighter national security policies may be preventing Tucson and other tourism markets from attracting their fair share of international visitors.

"International travel is slipping," said Travel Industry Association President and CEO Roger Dow, while speaking at a luncheon Monday at Marriott University Park.

He added that while visitation from Canada and Mexico is up, the numbers of "long-haul" travelers from countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom are dropping.

"Your bucket is leaking also," he said to the audience of about 120 representatives from the tourism industry and other businesses, and added that Tucson's number of overseas visitors fell about 11 percent from 2004 to 2005.

According to the Arizona Office of Tourism, overseas visitors for the entire state also fell by about 11percent over the same time.

Dow said the drop-off is likely the result of increased waiting times for visas and other restrictions put in place since 2001. The industry group is in the midst of lobbying efforts to help ease those restrictions, he said.

"You can have great hospitality and great security," he said.

Dow spoke to launch the Tucson Ambassadors Program, a program that provides formalized customer-service training for workers in the travel and tourism industry. The first class, which is already full, is scheduled for Wednesday.

Any loss of overseas visitors is a major concern for local hotels and resorts, said luncheon attendee Michael Dominguez, director of marketing for Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. Germany and the United Kingdom are two of Tucson's strongest overseas markets, he said.

"They love the heat. They come in the summer when there's not necessarily a lot of travelers to a our destination," he said.