The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the United
Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) each spoke out against President
Trump's executive order banning travel from seven nations for 90 days.
The WTTC urged Trump to reconsider the travel ban on
citizens of Iran, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Libya and Sudan.
"The [order] goes directly against the fundamental
right of freedom to travel," said WTTC CEO David Scowsill in a statement,
adding that the order had "created immense confusion among travelers and
travel companies worldwide."
"Our sector is responsible for the livelihoods of
millions worldwide," Scowsill said. "The U.S. has suffered in the
past from similar isolationist policies. We urge the Trump administration to
reconsider this ban."
Scowsill further stated that "suspending travel based
only on a person's nationality or their origin is wrong" and that many
travelers had been "unnecessarily disrupted, due to the unclear nature of
the executive order, coupled with a lack of prior consultation and poor
communication to airlines and border officials."
"Preventing 'aliens' from entering the U.S. for
legitimate business or leisure purposes is misguided and counterproductive for
the American economy," he said.
The UNWTO expressed "strong condemnation" of the
travel ban.
"The travel ban, based on nationality, is contrary to the
principles of freedom of travel and travel facilitation promoted by the
international tourism community, and will hinder the immense benefits that the
tourism sector brings in terms of economic growth and job creation to many
countries, including the USA," UNWTO stated.
UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai further stated that "isolationism
and blind discriminatory actions will not lead to increased security but rather
to growing tensions and threats."
"Besides the direct impact, the image of a country which
imposes travel bans in such a hostile way will surely be affected among
visitors from all over the world and risk dumping travel demand to the USA,"
Rifai said.
IATA, the international trade group for commercial airlines,
was also critical of the executive order. But unlike WTTC and UNWTO, IATA
focused its attention on the quick fashion in which the travel ban was put in
place, rather than on the policy itself. The action stranded hundreds of
travelers in airports around the world.
"The [executive order] was issued without prior
coordination or warning, causing confusion among both airlines and travelers,"
IATA said. "It also placed additional burdens on airlines to comply with
unclear requirements, to bear implementation costs and to face potential
penalties for noncompliance.
"We ask for early clarity from the U.S. administration
on the current situation. Moreover, we urge all governments to provide
sufficient advance coordination of changes in entry requirements so that
travelers can clearly understand them and airlines can efficiently implement
them."