GBTA urging CBP to take a balanced approach to new ESTA requirements

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is urging U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to adopt a balanced and practical approach as it evaluates significant proposed changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) requirements.

The association has filed formal comments with CBP outlining the potential competitive, operational and economic consequences of the proposed revisions. And it said that overly burdensome data collection measures and restrictive application processes could disrupt global business travel, undermine corporate mobility, and weaken the U.S.’s position as a premier destination for international travel and meetings –notwithstanding the risk of negative impacts on business travellers and the organizations that depend on them.

Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA, said that: “Security and efficient business travel are not mutually exclusive. While GBTA strongly supports efforts to protect U.S. borders and enhance traveler security, the proposed changes pose significant risks and could undermine the benefits that business travel brings to organizations who send their employees on international trips to the U.S. and the American destinations who welcome them.”

And Neufang added: “A balanced approach will strengthen national security while ensuring that the U.S. remains an accessible, desired and competitive meeting and conference destination for global business.”

As for what’s at risk, the GBTA pointed out that in the U.S. and beyond, business travel is central to global economic health, enabling trade, innovation, investment and person‑to‑person collaboration.

It said that GBTA members alone are estimated to directly manage more than USD $363 billion in annual business travel spend. Additionally, according to 2022 GBTA data, business travel had an economic impact of $484 billion in the U.S. and supported six million American jobs.

The proposed ESTA changes could introduce unintended consequences that ripple through the entire travel ecosystem such as:

• Greater administrative burden due to new requirements to provide data for multiple years for social media accounts, phone numbers, email addresses, expanded family details, and potential biometric submissions.
• Compliance conflicts with international data protection laws, including European Union mandates on strict limits for personal data collection, transparency and cross‑border data safeguards.
• Barriers to travel created by a mobile‑only application system, which conflicts with corporate security protocols and restricts access for travellers without compatible devices.
• Longer processing and approval windows, increased risk of errors or omissions, and reduced confidence in predictable travel timelines—particularly during peak global travel periods.
• A chilling effect on U.S.-bound travel, potentially diverting meetings, events and investments to other markets.

According to GBTA’s January 2026 business travel industry poll reflecting feedback from 571 travel industry professionals across 40 countries, concern about the proposed ESTA changes is substantial and widespread:

• 78% of travel professionals representing organizations that regularly send employees to the U.S. are very (42%) or somewhat (36%) concerned.
• 65% cite increased difficulty managing travel and 64% the added complexity in sending travellers to the U.S.
• 63% expect higher costs of doing business in the U.S., while 61% say employees may be less willing to travel due to privacy concerns or administrative burdens.
• Among European travel professionals, 67% say employees would prefer not to travel to the U.S. if required to disclose extensive personal information.

The proposed requirements could shift travel patterns significantly:

• 43% say their companies are more likely to hold meetings outside the U.S
• 29% expect a near‑term decrease in U.S. business travel, while 25% anticipate long‑term decreases
• 19% plan to revise travel policies to limit U.S. trips

For the GBTA’s full comments, CLICK HERE