Tourism, Privacy, and a Proposed CBP Rule: What’s at Stake
At SW14 Group, we pay close attention to shifts that affect travel, tourism, hospitality, and major events. A newly proposed CBP rule has surfaced with the potential to reshape inbound travel to the United States. The rule would require nearly all foreign tourists, including those from visa-waiver countries like the UK, to submit five years of their social media activity and other “high value” PII before being allowed to visit.
The privacy implications are obvious, but the tourism impact may be even more devastating. About 35 million overseas visitors came to the US in 2024, powering airlines, hotels, restaurants, entertainment, retail, and sports across major metros and destinations. And with the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 on the horizon, deterring international visitors now will have very real consequences.
If even a small percentage decide this level of scrutiny isn’t worth it, the ripple effects will be significant. Privacy-conscious travelers won’t hand over years of digital history, and they don’t need to. They’ll simply choose different destinations.
Security and a healthy inbound tourism economy can coexist. Policies that treat every visitor as a suspect make both goals harder to achieve.
The SW14 Signal
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