WASHINGTON, DC – In response to pressure and lobbying from airlines, the U.S. Travel Association, and other travel industry stakeholders, the Biden administration announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will lift the pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement for incoming international travelers effective midnight, June 12. The CDC put these travel restrictions in place in January 2021.
“Today marks another major step forward in the recovery of inbound air traffic and the return of international travel to the United States. The Biden administration is to be commended for this action, which will help welcome back visitors from around the world and accelerate the recovery of the U.S. travel industry,” Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said in a statement.
He cited a new analysis, which found that repealing the pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement could attract an additional 5.4 million visitors to the United States and an additional $9 billion in travel spending through the end of 2022. In 2021, international visitors spent $80.1 billion in the United States, significantly less than the $233.5 billion spent in 2019, according to the International Trade Administration.
“Before the pandemic, tourism was one of our nation’s most important export sectors. Lifting this requirement will allow this sector to lead the way in a broader economic and jobs recovery in the United States,” Dow said.
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A previous survey by the US Travel Association showed that 54% of international travelers said the added uncertainty of potentially having to cancel a trip due to US pre-departure testing requirements would have a significant impact on their likelihood of traveling to the United States.
Good news for trade shows
As a direct result of the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions, international attendance at trade shows and events is expected to increase.
“As the face-to-face business events industry continues to work tirelessly to bring international exhibitors and attendees back to our conferences and trade shows, this good news removes one of the biggest barriers to getting our industry back on track and getting people from across the country and around the world back to business at our U.S. events,” Tommy Goodwin, ECA vice president of government affairs, said in a statement.
The United States has been slow to fully reopen to international travelers. In January, the United Kingdom announced that fully vaccinated travelers would not be required to take a test before departure, and on March 18, all remaining travel restrictions were lifted. Starting in April, Canada lifted the test requirement for fully vaccinated travelers to enter its territory. Other European countries, Australia, and New Zealand have followed suit.
“US Travel and our partners have advocated tirelessly for months to lift this requirement, highlighting the monumental scientific advances that have allowed us to reach this point,” Dow said. “We thank President Biden, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Dr. Ashish Jha and others in the administration for recognizing the immense economic power of travel and its ability to reconnect the United States with the global community.”
Contact Tommy Goodwin at (703) 539-5875 or tommy.goodwin@ecalliance.us