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Bluff council backs a formal comment opposing proposed CBP social-media and email requirements for travelers

Bluff Town Council · February 3, 2026

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Summary

Council members heard local business leaders say a proposed Customs and Border Protection rule requiring up to five years of social-media identifiers and 10 years of emails could deter international tourists and damage Bluff’s tourism revenues; staff will finalize and submit a formal comment before the Feb. 9 deadline and share it with county and congressional offices.

Bluff — Business representatives told the town council that a proposed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rule would impose onerous reporting requirements on travelers from Visa Waiver/ESTA countries and risk reducing international visits to Bluff.

Jen (business community) described the proposal and why local tourism operators are alarmed: "If I had to provide all of that stuff to go to visit a country, I would not be going," she said, summarizing industry concern that five years of social-media identifiers and 10 years of email history is impractical and could deter travel.

Jen said her business relies heavily on foreign visitors and that the town’s revenues are sensitive to international travel trends. Staff presented local and county revenue indicators: transient room tax (TRT) collections were down about 9% for January–October 2025 compared with the same period in 2024; county credit-card spending by Canadian visitors was down about 41% and German spending down about 16% over the last year (county-sourced data).

Council agreed to finalize and sign a formal comment prepared by staff to CBP and to share the letter with county tourism partners and the congressional delegation. The public comment period closes Feb. 9, staff said.

Councilors asked staff to add citations to a national tourism-industry analysis referenced in the draft letter (cited figure: about 23% of surveyed travelers said they would not travel under such requirements). The mayor said staff will include the citation before submitting the comment and circulating it to regional stakeholders.

What’s next: Staff will finalize the comment letter, add cited sources, submit to CBP before the Feb. 9 deadline, and distribute the letter to county tourism officials and the town’s federal representatives.