Skift Take
What TripAdvisor CEO Kaufer tweeted about Republican Congress members holds true for the travel industry, as well: This is not the time to be silent about an issue that cuts to the core of travel and democracy in the U.S.
The CEOs of Expedia Inc., Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Lyft and Uber condemned the Trump administration's executive order to temporarily ban immigrants, refugees, and even green card-holders from seven majority-Muslim countries, while elsewhere within the U.S. travel industry there was a more tepid response or even silence.
U.S. federal judges, in the interim, have stayed several parts of the executive order, including blocking deportations of travelers from the seven countries who have already entered the U.S. at airports or other entry points.
The executive order is controversial on several grounds, including the fact that some consider it a Muslim ban, although supporters of the move deny it.
Expedia Inc. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who is an immigrant from Iran, argued that President Trump hastily wiped out the country's roots as "a nation of immigrants" with "the stroke of a pen."
Khosrowshahi issued the following statement: "The President's order represents the worst of his proclivity toward rash action versus thoughtfulness. Ours is a nation of immigrants. These are our roots, this is our soul. All erased with the stroke of a pen.
"As Expedia Inc we will do everything we can to protect and help our employees and travelers. That's our job. Hopefully our government can do its job, thoughtfully, and with just a bit of respect for our immigrant past."
Unlike the CEOs of TripAdvisor and Airbnb, both of whom opposed the executive order on Twitter, Khosrowshahi didn't tweet his statement.
On Inauguration Day, January 20, however, Expedia ran a TV advertisement three times on CNN with veiled opposition to the Trump administration's planned Mexico-U.S. border wall, and Khosrowshahi tweeted about the ad.
https://twitter.com/dkhos/status/822506944426491905
"Peek over your neighbor's fence to see the other side," he tweeted. "The difference is YOU. youtu.be/N-DtNm3zK_o #LifeatExpedia #TraveltheWorldBetter"
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky tweeted three times about the issue and even offered to provide "free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the U.S."
"Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allow in the U.S,," Chesky tweeted. "Stay tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing."
https://twitter.com/bchesky/status/825517729251684352
"Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right, and we just stand with those who are
