Although it had been in place under a previous order that had stayed a lower court decision that struck it down, the ban on travel from citizens from certain, mostly Muslim, nations has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Because of its timing, it was too soon for INBOUND to get a full reading on the decision’s impact from leaders in the inbound tour and travel industry. It seems to make little difference, however, as the prevailing opinion that we have detected among tour and travel marketers for the past year is that the damage has already been done.
Most of those we’ve talked with believe that the imposition of the ban, along with the Administration of President Donald Trump’s current “tariff war” with China and Europe, could only spell trouble for the industry.
Shortly after the decision was announced, the U.S. Travel Association released a statement that put the best face on the situation. US Travel’s Executive Vice President for Public Affairs Jonathan Grella issued the statement, which said the following:
“Now that the U.S. court system has set guidelines for the president’s executive orders on immigration, we are hopeful that a coherent and durable set of policies can be put into place by the administration.
“Today’s decision should enable the White House to move on to a new messaging phase: making it clear that keeping bad actors out remains a priority, but making it equally clear that legitimate business and leisure travelers are as welcome and desired as ever in the United States.
“The economic stakes around strong and healthy international travel are too high—and speak too squarely to the president’s priorities of growing exports, jobs, and the GDP—for the welcome message not to become a featured part of the administration’s calculus.”
