GBTA has filed formal comments with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) urging  the agency to adopt “a balanced and practical approach” as it evaluates significant proposed changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) requirements. 

The comments, according to a statement, outlined the potential competitive, operational and economic consequences of the proposed revisions. Overly burdensome data collection measures and restrictive application processes, said the statement, could disrupt global business travel, undermine corporate mobility and weaken the US’s position as a premier destination for international travel and meetings. 

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

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

• Greater administrative burdens 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 the 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 travelers 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 US-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 US are very (42%) or somewhat (36%) concerned. 
• 65% cite increased difficulty managing travel and 64% the added complexity in sending travelers to the US. 
• 63% expect higher costs of doing business in the US, 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 US if required to disclose extensive personal information.
• 43% say their companies are more likely to hold meetings outside the US. 
• 29% expect a near‑term decrease in US business travel, while 25% anticipate long‑term decreases.
• 19% plan to revise travel policies to limit US trips.