US: Travel industry on edge as US visa policy upends flight plans

When the US government advises its citizens from travelling abroad, it often has a chilling effect on that country’s tourism industry. Now America may be entering a freeze of its own, as the fallout from its new visa and immigration policy has globetrotters anxious about travelling to and from the US. That’s what some travel agents across the nation are starting to report, according to the American Society of Travel Agents, which is gathering information from its members to measure the impact of the restrictions. Though it’s been less than two weeks since President Donald Trump tightened some visa requirements and temporarily banned visitors from seven Middle Eastern and African countries, travel agents are already reporting that clients are rethinking trips to the US, according to association President Zane Kerby. The administration is appealing restraining orders that suspended its ban. Many would-be travellers are concerned Trump will win the appeal and eventually expand the scope of his restrictions to include their countries. Some immigrants and visa-holders living in the US are scrapping trips on fears they won’t be allowed to return back home. And a growing number of Americans are concerned about taking vacations abroad, saying they may receive a hostile reception from people upset about US policy, Kerby said.<br/>