Putting people in orbit isn’t that much cheaper than putting them on the planet and does nothing to mitigate the biggest problem: radiation exposure.
The reason to put put people in orbit around Mars and bring them back after an interval is the quite sensible approach used by Von Braun — practice and test each step in the process to maximize safety and success.
Like it or not, Mars does have a gravity well, and a landing and return to orbit has never even been tried, nor has a partial touch-and-go return to orbit from descent toward the surface.
Unlike Elon Musk, I don’t think there’s much of a prospect of getting a spacecraft up off the surface of Mars without a significant infrastructure; he switched SpaceX’s heavy engine development from RP-1 to methane, which is available on Mars, and the company is working to perfect an ass-first landing, so the eventual Mars rockets are upright and ready to refuel and return to Earth for another group.
Radiation exposure was brought up earlier in the week, and has nothing to do with anything. Astronauts would have appropriate levels of shielding, just as they do on the ISS. The lunar missions were short-duration and didn’t need much, contrary to what the nutbars claim (the moon landings hoax is itself a hoax).