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New figures on what the visible tip of the iceberg contributes to US GDP have been published by the Global Business Travel Association Foundation. In 2016 each percentage point of business travel spend represented 74,000 jobs, $3.3 billion in wages and $1.3 billion in taxes. Last year businesses spent $424 billion on 514.4 million domestic trips. From Meetings & Conventions…
Applications are now being accepted for the ASAE Foundation’s Innovation Grants Program. The charitable branch of the American Society of Association Executives – an Iceberg partner – is awarding five bursaries of up to $10,000 each for innovative association projects in travel, exploration or hybrid (travel and exploration). The closing date is October 1st. From Association Meetings International…
A federal judge in Hawaii has expanded the list of family relationships with US citizens that permit successful visa applications from countries proscribed in President Trump’s Travel Ban II. US District Judge Derrick Watson ordered the administration not to bar citizens’ grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. From Meetings & Conventions…
The US Department of Homeland Security is lifting the ban on large electronic devices in passenger cabins on flights from ten proscribed Middle East and North African airports. Enhanced security protocols and passenger screening – both technological and canine – on all inbounds flights to the US will be introduced in its place. From Meetings & Conventions…
The US Supreme Court has allowed a limited reinstatement of President Trump’s Travel Ban II. Pending a hearing in October, judges have upheld the ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen where there is no “credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the US”. From Meetings & Conventions…
As European Union officials meet to discuss the threat of the US expanding its ban on large electronic devices in certain flight cabins, and as the travel industry says the ban has seen Middle East business drop by 2.8% and cost the sector $198 million, the US Homeland Security chief has clarified US policy on any potential widening. From Meetings & Conventions…
After the 10-3 ruling of a federal appeals court that Trump Travel Ban II probably violates the Constitution and “drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination”, the Justice Department has asked the US Supreme Court – the nation’s highest legal authority – immediately to reinstate it. The Trump administration says the US will be safer under Executive Order 13780. From Meetings & Conventions…
To audible sighs of relief from much of the international meetings industry, the US Department of Homeland Security has announced that America will not extend to flights from Europe its ban on carrying large electronic devices in passenger cabins. A bar is currently in force on flights from ten Middle East and North African airports. From Travel Weekly…
Brand USA – the organisation promoting the US as a welcome destination for visitors – is to lose its federal funding under a proposed new budget from President Trump. The move has been attacked by US Travel association President Roger Dow as throwing away an $8.9 billion contribution to the economy and 28-to-1 return on investment. From Meetings & Conventions…
The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) community is mourning the loss of its former president and legendary industry advocate Jane E. Schuldt, who has died of pancreatic cancer aged 63. During Schuldt’s presidency in 1991, she focused on globalizing SITE by launching local chapters and designing local education with a global message. She vociferously championed SITE’s code of ethics,…
On the eve of IMEX’s opening in Frankfurt, The Iceberg watched live US TV coverage of further hearings into Executive Order 13780, aka Trump Travel Ban II. Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, representing the ban, was quizzed over whether it discriminates against Muslims in the wake of campaign statements made by the president. From Meetings & Conventions…
In the wake of recent terror attacks, the US State Department has issued an alert for US citizens travelling to Europe between May and September. The post warns that tourist locations, transport hubs, markets, malls and restaurants are all potential targets. It advises travelers to stay vigilant and to check US embassy websites. Photo: Sean Hobson. From Meetings & Conventions…
The most senior lawyers of sixteen US states – and of the District of Columbia – have said President Trump’s revised travel ban would damage both academic and medical institutions… and have a “chilling effect” on tourism. They have filed a brief to uphold the ruling that blocks Executive Order 13780 from coming into force. From Meetings & Conventions…
Emirates is to fly less often to the United States because tougher US security measures and President Trump’s travel bans are together lowering demand. The airline’s Dubai hub is both a casualty of the US ban on larger electronic devices in passenger cabins and also a transit stop for many passengers affected by Executive Orders 13769 & 13780. From Meetings & Conventions…
As 13 US states line up to back President Trump’s Travel Ban II – calling for the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the second suspension of it granted to Maryland – the federal judge who first blocked it in Hawaii has extended his order. Once again the ban’s damage to tourism and academic research is cited. From Meetings & Conventions…
With the ban on bringing larger electronic devices into passenger cabins coming into force on flights to the US from ten airports – the UK has similar restrictions on routes inbound from six countries – how have Middle East carriers mitigated the inconvenience to their customers? Details on the Emirates, Etihad and Turkish Airlines approaches. From Meetings & Conventions…
The US is banning large electronics from passenger cabins on flights from ten specified Middle East and North African airports. After “evaluated intelligence” on terrorist threats, devices bigger than a mobile phone have will to be checked into hold luggage on services from these destinations. Around 50 flights a day into the US will be affected. From Meetings & Conventions…
After Hawaii’s successful legal stay on Executive Order 13780 – which President Trump attacked as “unprecedented judicial overreach” – Maryland was next in line to question the constitutionality of Travel Ban II. One plaintiff – the Middle East Studies Association – claimed the order would make it difficult for members to attend academic conferences in the US. From Meetings & Conventions…
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