The US Supreme Court is upholding the Trump administration’s travel ban restricting visitors from select countries from entering the US, much to the disappointment of global business travel associations.
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.
Koch also expressed ACTE’s concern over implications for a healthy business environment, which it believes relies on the economic inputs and outputs from workers and tourists coming into the US from around the world.
“ACTE believes in treating all travellers with fairness and respect for their contributions to the economy, regardless of country of origin. We hope that, despite this decision, the US government will take the time to carefully evaluate immigration and security policies to ensure that the economy continues to thrive without sacrificing safety.”
