On the recommendation of the CDC, the pre-departure COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted.
This policy change was pushed for by the U.S. Travel Association and the American Society of Travel Advisors in order to help the travel industry recover from the Pandemic.
Today marks a huge step forward in the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the U.S. The president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association said that the Biden administration is to be applauded for this action which will welcome back visitors from around the world. Travel was one of the nation's largest industry exports prior to the swine flu. The lifting of this requirement will allow the industry to lead the way towards a broader U.S. recovery.
The president and CEO of ASTA celebrated the news.
Kerby said that they were thrilled to see the end of the CDC's inbound testing rule. ASTA has been involved in a multi-tiered advocacy campaign to get to this point, including direct lobbying of Congress and Administration officials, grassroots action and pressure through national and local media." Thanks to the hard work of ASTA members across the country, the Biden Administration was able to take this long-awaited step. Today is a great day because of the challenges that remain.
Travel advisers welcomed the news.
Stephen Scott, CEO of Travel Hub365 and the Odyssey Travel App said, "This will be a fantastic change for domestic travel businesses so that they can increase consumer confidence to travel to the U.S.." It's great for U.S. travelers because they don't know where they'll be able to get a test done before they return home. Consumers were stopped from traveling outside the country because of the stress.
This was an important policy change according to Ryan Donc Secz.
Doncsecz said the news was the best he had read in a long time. I am waiting for the next travel surge to help people who were afraid of being stuck overseas. In the last few weeks we have had false positives from guests who tested positive and people who were scared to attend our weddings because they tested positive two weeks before travel. This makes me very happy.
Executives from domestic destinations were happy.
"The lifting of the testing requirement for inbound international air travelers is very welcome news for New York City's travel and tourism industry, and will no doubt accelerate our continued recovery and that of the U.S.," said FredDixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company. The industry was given the opportunity to speed recovery and restore jobs after the mandate was ended by the Biden Administration. International travel makes up 50 percent of spending in NYC. It takes four domestic visitors to equal the spending of one international visitor so easing the entry process means a stronger and faster recovery.
The news that travelers wouldn't need to take a COVID-19 test before returning to the U.S. was welcomed by destinations abroad.
Since the announcement this morning, we are already hearing feedback from travel advisors, as well as American travelers, who are happy about this protocol being lifted in the U.S. Jules is the CEO of the tourism authority. The lifting of Covid testing requirements for international will have a positive impact on tourism in the U.S. Travelers who are worried about getting tests in time in a foreign country are more likely to be deterred from traveling. Most countries have made it easy to schedule Covid testing before departure for the U.S., but there is always uncertainty. St Lucia, the Caribbean, and all international destinations that appeal to the American market could see further growth if the testing requirement is eliminated.
destinations and travel advisors were not the only ones who reacted. The shift in policy was applauded by travel service providers.
Dan Richards, CEO, said that the decision to end the requirement for a negative COVID test to enter the United States is a welcome step towards recognizing the decreasing severity of the disease.
The news was praised by the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
"Today's announcement is a significant win for hotels and the travel industry," said president and CEOChip Rogers. The requirement was out of date and had a chilling effect on inbound international travel to the US.
The US Tour Operators Association was happy with the decision.
Terry Dale, president and CEO of USTOA, applauded the Administration's decision to remove the requirement for pre-departure COVID-19 testing. The requirement for pre-departure testing for international air travelers has depressed travel to the U.S. and hasn't provided any benefit to public health for some time. The removal of the pre-departure testing requirement will encourage vaccinations, increase demand for international travel to and from the U.S., and align passenger aviation entry requirements with those at U.S. land border points of entry. USTOA is committed to working with the Administration to make sure that international travel is reopened quickly.
Travelers were out of step with the rest of the world because of the testing requirements.
Domestic travel returned to pre-pandemic levels and pre-departure testing proved to be a major barrier.
Scott's Cheap Flights founder Scott Keyes said that many travelers were uncomfortable flying overseas because a breakthrough infections would mean not just getting stranded up to two weeks in a foreign country at their own expense, but also missing work, arranging pet care, and other logistical headaches back home. With the US joining Canada, Australia, and virtually all of Europe in scrapping the test mandate, I think we will see a surge in international travel. More than half of respondents said they would be more likely to travel internationally if there was no negative test requirement.
Brand USA was encouraged by the news and released the following statement.
The removal of the pre-departure testing requirement is an essential step forward in the continued recovery of the incredibly valuable international segment of the U.S. tourism economy. This is one of the final steps to welcome the world back to the United States and eventually achieve the goals of the newly-launched National Travel and Tourism Strategy to welcome 90 million international visitors who are estimated to spend $279 billion by 2027.
The elimination of the pre-departure testing requirement is popular with Americans.
The majority of U.S. travelers want the COVID-19 testing requirement removed. According to a recent survey, only 27 percent of people want it to stay.
The survey found that 44 percent of people would be more likely to travel internationally if the requirement was removed. Forty-six percent of people said their plans wouldn't be affected.
If the pre-departure testing requirement is removed this summer, the US could gain an additional 5.4 million visitors and $9 billion in spending, according to the US Travel Association. Booking and tourism dollars to the United States are going to increase now that it has.
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