WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) – A group representing the U.S. travel and tourism industry warned Monday that a proposal to require millions of foreign visitors to provide social media handles used over the past five years could have a “chilling effect” on visits to the United States.
The proposed change, announced in a U.S. government notice last week and expected to take effect on February 8, would require travelers from countries in the visa waiver program to submit the social media data.
“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,” the U.S. Travel Association said Monday in a statement. “One thing that isn’t in question: this policy could have a chilling effect on travel to the United States.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
