Popular Tourism Destinations Push Back Against Potential Trump Administration Travel Ban

1 month ago 5

Popular tourism destinations, including many Caribbean nations, are beginning to push back against reports and rumors of President Donald Trump's impending travel ban.

An internal memo recently obtained from the new administration shows that dozens of countries are currently being considered as part of a new travel ban at the onset of the president's second term, including places like Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Haiti and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The rough list of 40-plus nations is not only controversial but complicated. The list has yet to be enforced and features tiers with some countries being given as many as 60 days to address issues outlined by the White House.
While places like Cuba and Haiti could face partial suspensions impacting students and tourists planning travel to the U.S., most other places would be given weeks to address any concerns.

And again, that's if any actual paperwork or "ban" even comes to fruition.

“There’s nothing we’re not afraid to answer to. We have been very transparent. We engage governments in transparency. People know us. What we say in the night, is what we say in the day; our word is our bond," Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said during a press conference on Monday.

"We are prepared to engage everyone, including the United States, in this matter. So whatever concerns the United States may have, which I do not know of yet, we are prepared to respond."

Antigua and Barbuda's embassy in Washington expressed "deep concern" and requested the U.S. clarify the potential travel bans and "details of any 'deficiencies' perceived by agencies of the United States so that they may be promptly discussed and remedied," in a recent letter obtained by Reuters.

"A review is not a ban," the destination's ambassador to the U.S., Ronald Sanders. "A review can lead to satisfaction as much as anything else."

Travelers from all over should remember that a travel ban is never blanket and that countries may be impacted in different ways if at all when it comes to opening their borders to foreign tourists.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.