The Global Business Travel Association said $185 million in
business travel bookings have been lost because of the Trump administration's
travel ban.
The ban went into effect via executive order on Jan. 27 and
was blocked by a federal judge on Feb. 4. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in
San Francisco on Tuesday heard arguments both for and against the ban, which
applied to citizens of seven countries (Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Iran, Sudan,
Yemen and Libya). On Thursday, the appeals court refused to reinstate the ban.
Meanwhile, continued uncertainty is a wet blanket on business
travel, GBTA executive director
Mike McCormick indicated.
"They can ultimately choose to reinstate the travel ban
or uphold the lower court's ruling on the temporary stay, which would likely
result in an appeal to the Supreme Court," said McCormick. "However, both scenarios result in a loss for the travel
industry and the economy."
Travel will continue to suffer while the country awaits a
Supreme Court ruling, McCormick said.
"Advanced bookings would likely slow as travel professionals
could not be sure if and when the ban would be reinstated. Meetings and events
might be cancelled altogether," he said.
McCormick shared data as of Feb. 8, regarding the ban's
impact.
In addition to the $185 million lost in business travel
bookings, McCormick said data also shows an up to 8% month-over-month decrease
in business travel transactions in the United States (comparing January 2017 to
December 2016). Business travel transactions were up 1.2% the week before the
ban, but decreased 2.2% the week after.
The GBTA said the ban will likely have an effect on jobs in
the United States, as each 1% impact on business travel spending per year means
71,000 jobs, $5 billion in GDP, $3 billion in wages and $1.2 billion in tax
collections.
"Business travel drives lasting business growth and is
a leading indicator for jobs and the economy at large," McCormick said.
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This report was updated on Thursday when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate the travel ban.