USA: Trump Travel Ban Sparked Confusion, Chaos And Protests At Airports, Will Negatively Affect Tourism

President Trump's ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries could have a chilling effect on U.S. tourism, global business and enrollment in American universities, say a cross-section of legal experts and travel advocates.

While the orders are temporary, these voices say the policy could have a long-term impact.

“There’s a real potential negative impact, even after the 90- or 120-period is over, from a travel point of view,” said Thomas M. McDonnell, a professor at Pace University’s law school, who is an expert in international law. “If you were a Muslim from Saudi Arabia, which is not included in the list, you might say, ‘Gee, should I really go to the U.S. with Trump as president? Who knows what might happen.’”

Trump's sweeping executive order suspends U.S. refugee resettlement for 120 days and halts anyone traveling from Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen from entering the United States for the next 90 days.

The administration says the move will allow them to review and establish stronger vetting standards in an effort to beef up travel security and prevent terrorists from infiltrating the U.S. Officials also argue that those directly affected by the ban reflect a small minority.

The seven countries outlined in the executive order don’t crack the top 20 travel markets to the United States, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

But the ban sparked confusion, chaos and protests at airports over the weekend, creating uncertainty throughout the travel industry.

Tourism and travel advocacy groups say it’s too early to quantify the actual impact of the executive order, but acknowledge it’s important to strike a balance between security and free travel.

“In this case, it’s a limited universe of people directly affected, but carries with it not inconsequential fall-out potential when it comes to reputational risk and sending an unintended message,” said Jonathan Grella, executive vice president of public affairs for the U.S. Travel Association.

“People will be understanding and forgiving when security is your motivation, but if they are left with other takeaways that leave the impression that they’re not welcome here, than that’s obviously a different story.”

Trump’s new policy prevents immigration and non-immigration visa holders from those seven countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days, which McDonnell said includes those wanting to travel to the U.S. to visit their family or conduct business trips.

An Oscar-winning Iranian film director who directed a movie nominated again this year, for example, would not be able to attend the Oscars unless provided with an exception.

“If you’re from Iraq and you want to visit your family here during this period for a few weeks or a month, there’s absolutely no way you’re going to be able to get in,” McDonnell said.

“Let’s say you’re a business person - and there’s lots of business between the U.S. and Iraq - if you’re not an American citizen or green card holder, you’re not going to be able to come in.”

Dubai-based Emirates airline has had to adjust which employees it puts on U.S.-bound flights in order to comply with the new restrictions. Airline stocks plunged more than 4 percent Monday in the wake of the ban.

The impact of the executive order could be more far-reaching, though.

Foreign students may be discouraged to enroll in American universities amid the uncertainty. Several colleges are advising foreign students and scholars who might be impacted by the ban to avoid traveling outside of the U.S. until there is more clarity about the policy.

And industries that have a diverse workforce, particularly in technology, transportation and healthcare, may see their foreign workers decline in the future. Multiple news outlets reported that nearly 200 Google employees belong to countries included in the ban, with Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressing concern it will create obstacles to bringing good talent to the U.S.

“I’m concerned about the economic ramifications across our economy, from tech to travel to agriculture and our defense industry,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said. “They’re all potentially at risk.”

Some advocates worry that the executive order will make the visa process slower, since Trump suspended a program allowing some applicants to get a temporary visa without a formal interview.

Experts also say it’s possible that countries affected by the ban could impose similar restrictions on the U.S. in retaliation, thus creating hurdles for American tourists and visitors hoping to travel abroad as well.

“It’s going to have long-term, negative consequences for business, tourism and students,” McDonnell said. “It creates a lot of uncertainty… and it affects our reputation in the Islamic world.”

USA: With Small Tourism Budget, North Dakota Aims For Strong Marketing

Actor Josh Duhamel motions to the Fargo Theatre as he stands next to the wood chipper from the thriller "Fargo," on Sunday, August 16, 2015

A homegrown movie star, a woodchipper, musicians and a throng of people wearing NDSU and University of North Dakota jerseys hammed it up for camera crews that were there to film the latest advertisement meant to lure visitors to North Dakota. But behind the scenes, tourism officials say marketing North Dakota is as much a science as it is an art.

With one of the smallest tourism budgets in the nation, North Dakota officials say they have to make savvy marketing decisions. That involves analyzing reports to find out what brings people here and what media they consume.

The nearly $6 million North Dakota spent on its state tourism office in fiscal year 2013-14 was the eighth-lowest among the 46 states reporting figures to the U.S. Travel Association, and it was well below budgets in neighboring states. Hawaii spent the most that year with $82 million, and Delaware spent the least with just over $2 million.

But with the help of research, North Dakota Tourism Division Director Sara Otte Coleman said her office tries to make the most effective use of its money. And, according to the department, it appears to be paying off: visitation increased 22 percent between 2011 and 2013.

"It's really just trying to take all that information and trying to lay it all over on top of each other, and make sure the most important things rise to the top," she said. "The bottom line is most of the efforts we put in we want to be able to measure."

Where and when?

The tourism division of the North Dakota Department of Commerce is planning a $3.3 million media buy in 2016, with 78 percent of that being spent on ads in the U.S. and another 15 percent going to Canada. Roughly 6 percent will be spent on niche advertising.

Next year's campaign will feature Minot native Josh Duhamel, a movie and television actor. He's been involved with North Dakota tourism campaigns for some time, but his role will be expanded to most of the state's ads next year, including TV, print and digital. Duhamel is getting paid $475,000 for his work.

North Dakota is targeting Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois as U.S. markets, and Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada. That focus on the immediate region is partly based on research that shows North Dakota's target audience travels by car--one example of how research helps shape how North Dakota markets itself.

"We need to be very strategic about our media buys in order to make that as effective as possible," said Heather LeMoine, marketing manager at the North Dakota tourism office.

North Dakota will run broadcast television ads in major Minnesota and Wisconsin markets between early May and early June, as well as on cable television later in the summer.

Next year will be the first time in a few years that North Dakota will market itself on Canadian television, with ads airing in Winnipeg, Man., and Regina, Sask., in May and June. That's more feasible today because of a lower Canadian dollar.

Still, 80 to 90 percent of North Dakota visitors come from the U.S., LeMoine said. North Dakota tourism officials are adding Chicago in its digital and print advertisements, such as Chicago Magazine, newspaper inserts and email marketing lists.

Otte Coleman said Chicago and Illinois rank high in North Dakota Tourism's web traffic, but it tends to be an expensive market for advertising.

"I had hoped to be able to get there in a bigger way," she said. "We didn't get enough dollars to get there as big as we wanted, but we're going to dip our toe in the water and try to expand our footprint by adding some more Chicago and Illinois media this year."

But 2016 will also see North Dakota tourism pulling away from certain segments, like golf and birding niche advertising.

"We made this determination based on the awareness we have already built with previous campaigns and the lower participation numbers in these activities," Otte Coleman wrote in an email.

North Dakota has put more money into tourism in recent years, from $8 million in the 2005-07 biennium to nearly $13 million during this two-year budgeting cycle, according to figures provided by Otte Coleman.

Meanwhile, Minnesota increased its state funding for the tourism operating budget from about $8.4 million in fiscal year 2013 to nearly $14 million in the following year and has stayed at that level since. Minnesota's traditional markets include North and South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Winnipeg, according to Explore Minnesota spokeswoman Alyssa Ebel.

"We have not seen dramatic increases like other states have," Otte Coleman said. "We're competing in those same markets for a lot of the same visitors."

But Nan Marchand Beauvois, vice president of National Councils at the U.S. Travel Association, said states with large and small budgets face the same task: identifying their consumers.

"Their marketing should be based on data," she said. "They have to have data to support who they're targeting and what markets they're going into."

But whether the millions of dollars states spend on tourism marketing are effective is a matter of some debate.

Longwoods International, a research firm contracted by the state of North Dakota, said in a 2014 report that visitors spent $94 for every advertising dollar spent. Those high return on investment claims make some researchers skeptical.

"They strain credulity," said Michael LaFaive, director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a free market think tank in Michigan. That state spent more than $32 million on tourism in 2013, and has become known for its "Pure Michigan" campaign.

Research conducted by LaFaive found that for every dollar increase in spending on tourism promotion by the state of Michigan, the accommodations industry sees a 1 cent increase in revenue. Moreover, a significantly smaller tourism budget in neighboring Indiana had the "same impact that we had here in Michigan," he said.

Meanwhile, the 2014 Longwoods report said the North Dakota ad campaign in U.S. markets generated 1.1 million incremental trips that would have not otherwise taken place, bringing in more than $200 million in visitor spending and nearly $16 million in state and local taxes. Minnesota's tourism department, Explore Minnesota, says advertising generated 3.1 million Minnesota trips and $320.2 million in traveler spending in 2014.

"If done well, it can be very effective in driving tourism business into the state, generating spending for the industry, jobs and tax dollars for the state treasury," Longwoods CEO Bill Siegel wrote in an email.