The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is calling on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to adopt a “balanced and practical” approach as it evaluates proposed changes to its Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) requirements. The GBTA noted that overly burdensome data collection measures and restrictive application processes could disrupt global business travel, undermine corporate mobility and weaken the United States’ competitiveness as a leading destination for international travel, meetings and events.
The global business travel and meetings industry generates about $1.57 trillion annually and supports millions of American jobs. In a Jan. 2026 GBTA poll, 78% of respondents who regularly send employees to the U.S. said they are considering holding meetings outside the U.S. and significantly reducing business travel here.
“GBTA strongly supports efforts to protect U.S. borders and enhance traveler security,” explained Suzanne Neufang, GBTA’s CEO, “[but] the proposed changes pose significant risks and could undermine the benefits that business travel brings to organizations who send their employees on international trips to the U.S. and the American destinations who welcome them.”
Source: Travel Trade Journal
