GBTA urges a balanced approach to proposed ESTA reforms, citing business travel risks.
The USD 1.57 trillion global business travel and meetings industry is represented by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), which has urged U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to take a fair and pragmatic stance when assessing proposed modifications to the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) regulations.
In its formal comments to CBP, GBTA expressed concerns that excessively onerous data collection procedures and restrictive application procedures may hinder corporate mobility, disrupt international business travel, and make the US less competitive as a top destination for meetings, events, and international travel. The group warned that businesses that depend on international mobility as well as business travellers may face operational, financial, and competitive challenges as a result of the planned changes.
In response, GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang said, “Effective business travel and security are not mutually exclusive. The proposed changes present serious risks and could jeopardise the advantages that business travel offers to companies that send their employees abroad and the American locations that receive them, even though the GBTA firmly supports initiatives to safeguard American borders and improve traveller security.”
“A well-rounded strategy will enhance national security while guaranteeing that the United States continues to be a competitive, appealing, and easily accessible meeting and conference location for international business,” she continued.
The GBTA emphasised how important business travel is to the state of the world economy since it fosters cooperation, trade, innovation, and investment. Over USD 363 billion in business travel expenditures are reportedly directly managed by GBTA members alone each year. Business travel supported almost six million American employment and had an economic impact of USD 484 billion in the United States, according to GBTA data from 2022.
A mobile-only application system that may clash with corporate security protocols, potential conflicts with international data protection regulations like those in the European Union, and increased administrative burdens due to expanded requirements for multi-year personal data disclosures are just a few of the unintended consequences that the association warned the travel ecosystem could face as a result of the proposed ESTA changes. Longer processing times, a greater chance of mistakes, less predictability in travel planning, and a possible deterrent effect on travel to the United States—with meetings, events, and investments perhaps moving to other markets—are further worries.
The GBTA also referenced results from a survey it conducted in January 2026 of the business travel sector, which polled 571 travel professionals in 40 countries. According to the survey, 78% of respondents whose companies frequently send workers to the United States said they were extremely or somewhat concerned about the proposed changes. Most reported that managing travel had become more challenging, that business expenses had gone up, and that employees were less inclined to go because of administrative and privacy concerns. More over two-thirds of respondents from Europe said that if substantial disclosure of personal data were needed, they would rather not send staff to the United States.
Furthermore, the data points to a possible change in international travel trends, with a sizable percentage of organisations stating that, should the proposed ESTA requirements be put into effect in their current form, they might hold meetings outside of the United States, cut back on short- and long-term business travel, or update corporate travel policies to restrict trips to the United States.
