Uncertainty continues to loom for US tourism with Trump ban upheld

The US Supreme Court has ruled to uphold the Trump administration’s travel ban restricting visitors from select countries from entering the US, with global travel bodies worried about the long-term impacts on American tourism the latest ruling will bring.

Global business travel associations have expressed their disappointment to the latest decision.

Greeley Koch, executive director of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) Global, stated: “This is a disappointing decision on the part of the Supreme Court, and a setback for the principles underlying the global economy.”

Some US$185 million in business travel bookings were lost in a single week following the first Trump ban, while the second and third continued to impact inbound US travel, said Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) executive director and COO Michael McCormick.

And with the ruling to uphold the ban, 37 per cent of GBTA members expect some level of reduction going forward.

GBTA is “deeply concerned” about the long-term impact of the travel bans and the global perception of doing business with the US. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and as the US changes its policies about inbound travel, others are likely to do the same,” the association said in a statement.

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