GBTA warns proposed ESTA data-grab might hit U.S. enterprise journey

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has fired a contemporary salvo at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over sweeping new data-collection plans for Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) customers.

In formal feedback filed on February 6 and launched publicly on February 9, the world’s largest corporate-travel foyer says the draft rule—requiring 5 years of social-media identifiers, as much as ten years of cellphone numbers, e-mail addresses, prolonged household particulars and, finally, biometric ‘selfies’—dangers turning a friction-less pre-clearance system into an impediment course. GBTA chief government Suzanne Neufang argues that the rule, as written, “poses significant competitive, operational and economic consequences” and will shift high-value conferences, conferences and funding away from the United States. An {industry} ballot of 571 journey managers in 40 international locations reveals 78 p.c are “very or somewhat concerned”; two-thirds already foresee staff refusing journeys that contain intensive personal-data disclosure. European respondents are particularly alarmed, citing potential conflicts with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Beyond privateness objections, GBTA highlights sensible snags. CBP intends to scrap the ESTA web site in favor of a mobile-only app—problematic for company travellers whose gadgets are locked down by IT insurance policies. Additional type fields might lengthen approval instances past the present minutes-long turnaround, undermining last-minute journey that’s widespread in deal-making and crisis-response work. Airlines and travel-management corporations must re-tool reserving flows, whereas company mobility groups would shoulder new duty-of-care and price burdens.

Amid this evolving panorama, many journey managers are turning to VisaHQ for assist navigating U.S. entry necessities. The firm’s on-line platform ( consolidates the most recent ESTA and visa guidelines, provides document-check providers, and may pre-screen travellers’ purposes to minimise surprises on the border—saving corporates each time and compliance complications.

The affiliation urges CBP to slender information requests to fields “with demonstrable security utility,” hold the net portal alive, and pilot any biometric parts earlier than mandating them. CBP has not indicated whether or not it’ll reduce the proposal; the public-comment docket closes February 9, after which the company might situation a ultimate rule. If adopted unchanged, the necessities would apply to nationals of 42 Visa Waiver Program international locations as early as mid-2026.

For multinationals, the stakes are excessive. International enterprise journey to the United States has but to get better to 2019 ranges, and a separate $250 “Visa Integrity Fee” took impact on January 1. Travel-industry economists warn the dual measures might value the U.S. economic system billions extra in customer spending at a time when different locations—Canada, the U.Okay. and Singapore amongst them—are actively courting conferences and overseas direct funding.

GBTA’s pushback due to this fact marks a uncommon second of near-unanimity amongst airways, lodge teams, tech corporations and mobility managers: tighten safety, they are saying, however don’t sacrifice the pace and predictability that make the Visa Waiver Program a cornerstone of worldwide commerce.