Summary:
- USTA says U.S. plan to expand social media checks could reduce visits and spending.
- The association warns mishandling the policy could drive travelers’ spending abroad.
- Visa applicants have been required to provide social media information since 2019.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S proposal to expand social media checks for foreign visitors has raised concern by the U.S. Travel Association, which warns it could reduce visits and spending. The plan would require travelers to provide social media handles used in the past five years, a step industry groups say may discourage travel to the U.S.
The change was announced last week in a U.S. government notice and would apply to travelers from countries in the visa waiver program. It is set to take effect Feb. 8, according to Reuters.
USTA said that if the policy is mishandled, millions of travelers could spend their money elsewhere.
“One thing that isn’t in question: this policy could have a chilling effect on travel to the U.S.,” the association said. “If we get this policy wrong, millions of travelers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker.”
Under current rules, visa applicants have been required to provide social media information since 2019. The proposal would extend the requirement to visa waiver travelers, who enter the U.S. without a visa for short stays. The notice said the change follows a Jan. 20 executive order by President Donald Trump calling for maximum vetting of visitors.
The visa waiver program allows travelers from 42 countries to enter the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, Reuters reported. They must complete an Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA. Under the proposal, ESTA applicants would be required to submit social media handles.
The notice said the U.S. would seek additional information, including all email addresses used in the past 10 years. Travelers would also provide names, birth dates, residences and birthplaces of parents, siblings, children and spouses. The proposal is open for public comment for 60 days.
Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department said that from Dec. 15 it would require H-1B visa applicants and their dependents to set social media profiles to public for review. The U.S. will co-host the 2026 football World Cup with Canada and Mexico, an event expected to draw visitors worldwide. Travel businesses are counting on the tournament to support a tourism recovery after a decline since Trump took office.
Separately, the Trump administration last week began accepting applications for a “gold card” program that allows people who pay $1 million to obtain U.S. permanent residency. A website for the program said a $5 million “platinum card” was coming soon, a move critics say exceeds U.S. law.
Trump recently signed a proclamation expanding travel restrictions to 20 more countries and the Palestinian Authority, further limiting who can visit or immigrate. Five countries are under a full travel ban, 15 face partial restrictions and travel with Palestinian Authority documents is fully barred.
