Trump travel ban has hurt business, says top Dubai hotelier

by Dramelin 7:30 AM 0 comments

President Donald Trump`s travel ban and the "drastic changes" his administration has introduced in his first four months as president has hurt business at United Arab Emirates-based luxury hotel and lifestyle group H`Mark Hospitality, says the company`s chief executive.
"At the business volume basis, we`ve taken a hit," H`Mark Hospitality CEO Alexander Bohnekamp told CNBC in an interview in Dubai when asked about the impact of the White House`s travel and laptop bans.
"We don`t have to over-worry, but we have to be extremely conscious on how to deal with those travel issues," he said.
In January, President Trump signed an executive order banning citizens from seven predominantly Muslim nations; Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan, from entering the United States for 90 days.
courts blocked the order, but Trump responded by issuing a second travel ban six weeks later, excluding Iraq from the list.
The second executive order also faced a setback in the courts.
The hotel group`s CEO said he expected the "hype" over the travel ban to dissipate in the near future while adding that the one saving grace for his company is that the United States is not the firm`s primary target market, "should this continue for far too long.