What a Wonderf … Wacky World:
Boy, oh boy, it sure is a wild ride out there for business owners trying to forecast for the foreseeable future. For better or worse, American President Donald Trump is shaking up the global economy, and it’s causing some...uncertainty. Hopefully, we’ll all laugh at this in a handful of quarters and declare that the best deal was made for everyone—or we’ll rue the day. Let’s shoot for optimism.
Anyway, we can’t predict the future, but we can try to arm you with some data that may help put things in context. First things first: Consumer confidence has trended down, according to most measures, for the past five months. The GDP shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025. Plus, we don’t have to tell you about the stock market—leave that hysteria to your favorite cable talking head (or better yet, don’t). On the positive side, companies like Walmart, Target, and even automakers like Ford signaled that they will absorb the tariffs as much as possible to keep prices somewhat stable.
However, inbound international corporate travel continues to not only keep pace but rise in some estimates (so reports Business Travel News and the US National Travel and Tourism Office). This even contradicts the recent Global Business Travel Association survey of global travel managers, where up to 20% have or are considering canceling, moving, or pulling attendance from meetings and events located in the US—although that might be delayed pain since they often plan months ahead. The same, however, cannot be said for inbound leisure travel, which is struggling according to data from the National Travel and Tourism Office, but also according to recent polls from bus and travel associations like American Bus Association and National Tour Association. This is especially true for tourists from Western Europe and Canada, whose newly elected prime minister is locked in a rather silly battle with our president. The core inflation rate dipped to 2.4% in the 12 months ending in March, lower than expected, but some economists are predicting that it could climb to 3% by the end of the year. Airlines are dropping domestic fares (at least they were in late April), which is good for those who have or want to fly. The February, March, and April job reports were steady and also beat expectations ...
So, that’s a lot, especially since US leadership is attempting a once-in-a-generation economic revival/shift. Instead, flip to page 54 of the May 2025 issue of CD Magazine to find out what your peers are saying and experiencing. Either way, we’re rooting for all the businesses of this country and industry to thrive.
Sources: Business Travel News, National Tour Association, GBTA, National Travel and Tourism Office, CNBC, American Bus Association, Bloomberg, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Travel Weekly, Skift
REAL ID Deadline Finally Gets Real: After 20 years (yes, the law was passed under the Bush administration) and tons of delays, REAL ID enforcement is finally in effect at US airports as of May 7. Because the rollout has been largely dependent upon each state’s department of motor vehicles, adoption rate has been uneven across the country. It’s been a particular slog for states like New Jersey, where appointments were limited to only a third of MVC offices statewide and didn’t even start issuing REAL IDs until 2019 (and then, you know, COVID). Other states like Nebraska were well ahead of the game because they haven’t allowed residents the option of getting a traditional license for years now. At the end of April, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that only about 60% of licenses nationwide were REAL IDs.
If you have to fly and don’t have your REAL ID, a passport, military/DoD ID, or a few others from this list will work. If all you have is your regular old license, DHS warns: “Passengers who do not yet have their REAL ID or another TSA acceptable form of ID can expect to face delays, additional screening, and the possibility of not being allowed into the security checkpoint. This includes TSA PreCheck passengers.”
Bottom line: If you or your passengers are flying, you’ll want to build in plenty of time to accommodate the extra screening and/or delays that will likely impact the TSA lines, even if you have your new ID.
Sources: tsa.gov, News Nation
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