The move follows a series of controversial statements made by the campaigning Republican candidate, from banning Muslims from entering the US to building a wall along the Mexico border, leading to suggestions of an isolationist mindset by Trump.
The US Travel Association’s senior director of domestic policy, Erik Hansen, refused to refer to Trump by name, but said the association would continue to work hard to ensure the destination remains open for business.
He added: “I’m not going to name names but there is a presidential candidate that is talking about building walls or keeping people out. That’s not going to happen.
“We’ve got to always be on the lookout for that type of negative reaction. It is a real threat. Our job is to lobby congress; our job is to lobby the industry. We’re going to make sure government puts in smart policies and we’ll help them.”
Hansen noted the government’s need to preserve the visa waiver programme, which enables citizens from certain countries to travel to the US without having to apply for a visa, adding: “Everything we do is built on security. I don’t think policy makers truly grasp that.”
Meanwhile, World Travel & Tourism Council president and chief executive David Scowsill argued that countries should focus on digitalising the arrival visa process to bring it up to date. He said 61% of the 1.2 billion global travellers were still required to “fill out a paper form, stand in line and get a stamp” on arrival.
CBN Travel & Mice and World Travel Online chief executive Dr Adam Wu agreed the visa waiver programme was important, citing China’s experience after introducing it to 35 countries and seeing an increase in visitors. He added that a new initiative to introduce a 72-hour transit visa for Shanghai and Beijing was already beginning to bear fruit.
Wu added: “It is a matter of control. A conflict between the tourism promotion authority and the security ministry to make sure undesirables aren’t coming in. It is a challenge but moving in the right direction.”
Jamaica minister of tourism Edmund Bartlett said most Caribbean countries also employed minimal visa restrictions and had reaped the benefits of increased visitor numbers as a result.
