Travel Bookings Declined After Trump Travel Ban

Updated Feb. 10, 11:45 a.m. EST

Travel bookings to the U.S. declined 6.5 percent year over year following the Trump travel ban, according to travel data analytics firm ForwardKeys.

For the period of Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, bookings from the Middle East decreased 37.5 percent, including a 60 percent drop in bookings from Saudi Arabia, although the decline also reflects the timing of a school break there. Bookings from the Asia/Pacific region decreased 14 percent, though the research excluded China and Hong Kong because of the effects of the Chinese New Year.

Bookings also declined 13.6 percent from Western Europe, 6.6 percent from Northern Europe, 6.1 percent from Africa and 2.9 percent from Southern Europe.

Meanwhile, bookings from Eastern Europe increased 15.8 percent, and bookings to the U.S. from elsewhere in the Americas rose 2.3 percent.

ForwardKeys also noted that bookings to the U.S. from Iran surged following District Judge James Robart suspended the order.

The business travel industry lost about $185 million in bookings in the week following President Donald Trump's immigration ban restricting citizens of seven countries from entering the U.S., according to the Global Business Travel Association.

In the week leading up to the ban, U.S. systemwide business travel transactions rose 1.2 percent from the previous week. That upward trend reversed the next week, following the ban, when transactions declined 2.2 percent, GBTA executive director and COO Michael McCormick said in a blog post. For the full month of January, bookings by some industries and sectors declined by as much as 8 percent from December.

Much of the decline stemmed from lack of clarity around the executive order, which caused bookings to be delayed or canceled. That uncertainty likely will continue as the industry awaits a Supreme Court appeal, he said. "Advanced bookings will likely slow, as travel professionals cannot be sure if and when the ban will be reinstated. Meetings and events may be canceled altogether," McCormick said. "We urge the Trump administration to pause this travel ban action, reassess its path forward with key stakeholders and preserve both our national security and our economy for the future."