End of Covid Test Requirement Raises Expectation for US Summer Travel

With the summer heating up, the United States is lifting the requirement for all travelers entering the country to present a negative Covid-19 test. The news brings collective relief and a likely flood of new international travelers to an already chaotic summer season.

For many American travelers, the announcement means no longer having to worry about the hassle of testing before returning to the United States, or the cost and burden of staying abroad in quarantine and waiting for a negative result if a pre-travel test takes place. come positive.

Meanwhile, international travelers bound for the US can plan trips without the fear of canceling them because of a positive test. Most non-US citizens must still be vaccinated to travel to the country.

And the ailing travel industry is celebrating the removal of the barrier for both groups of potential customers.

The rule, which was implemented in January 2021, ended for US-bound travelers starting at 1:01 am Brasília time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says they will reassess the rule if the Covid-19 situation changes.

The process comes after intense pressure from the travel trade and tour groups as the sector continues to recover after more than two years of a pandemic-induced slowdown.

For months, these organizations have been calling for the testing requirement to be dropped, as has been the case in Canada and the UK since March, as well as most countries in Europe. Following Friday’s news of the end of the rule, the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and the US Travel Association (USTA) were among groups that issued statements applauding the measure.

AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers described this as a “significant win for hotels and the travel industry at large” in a statement released Friday, calling the requirement outdated and creating a “creepy effect” on inbound international travel.

Meanwhile, USTA President and CEO Roger Dow emphasized that ending the testing requirement could bring an additional 5.4 million visitors to the US and an additional $9 billion in travel spending by the end of 2022.

‘2022 is three seasons in one’

While many in the travel industry support the development, some experts are warning of increased demand, decreased availability and higher prices that are sure to come as a result, exacerbating what was once a chaotic travel landscape in the United States and abroad.

“Europe will be inundated with American travelers,” said Mina Agnos, president of Travelive, an agency specializing in travel to Greece with an office in Florida.

“In speaking to travel advisors in the US, the consensus is that 2022 is ‘three seasons in one’. Hotel availability is scarce and local services [como] guides, drivers, local air transport, ferry and train services and restaurants will be at full capacity this season,” said Agnos.

It’s an assessment that the tourism industry, especially the hospitality sector, is happy to see.

Chitra Stern, CEO of Martinhal Resorts, a family-centric luxury hotel group with properties in Portugal, said US testing restrictions have “prevented many travelers” from planning trips abroad, especially families, who are the brand’s core demographic. .

As a negative test is no longer required to return to the US, Stern expects to see an increase in the number of US resident guests – Martinhal’s main market – booking stays in Portugal and across Europe.

“We now expect to see a lot more Americans booking last-minute summer trips and extended holidays in the city,” Stern said.

Laura Citron, CEO of Visit London, expects to see a similar increase in US travelers, who make up London’s biggest inbound tourism market, heading to the capital this summer.

“During the pandemic, we saw spikes in US bookings to London when travel restrictions were lifted,” Citron told CNN via text message, adding that passengers on flights from the US to London nearly reached pre-pandemic levels during the week of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

According to Agnos, travelers with a holiday destination in Greece this summer should start planning their trips right away and expect to face crowds. If his business is anything to go by, the Mediterranean country is set to see a tourism boom in the coming months, so much so that June is “virtually sold out” for Travelive guides, transfer vehicles and even yachts, Agnos said.

Such a situation is the first in the tour operator’s 21-year history.

“Hotel availability is a serious concern, even in areas like Athens and Mykonos, where the amount available has always been adequate,” explained Agnos. “This is the first time we have stopped doing business due to lack of availability”.

‘An increase in transatlantic demand’

It remains to be seen exactly how much the restriction raised will cause an increase in the cost of air tickets. But it is safe to say that with the inevitable increase in demand, passengers should consider booking flights as soon as possible to get the best deal.

According to Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights, an airline tracking and booking website, increased demand could result in airlines expanding routes and services to popular destinations like Europe.

“I expect to see an increase in demand for transatlantic travel and airlines responding by adding more flights to capture the new swaths of travelers eager to travel between the US and Europe,” said Keyes.

It’s definitely about supply and demand, Kyle Potter, editor of travel and flight business website Thrifty Traveler, told CNN .

“Many domestic tariffs are higher than ever, and that’s because demand is higher,” Potter said. “As more people look to Europe and beyond, we can easily see airlines raising fares, especially during the peak summer season.”

Potter recommends traveling between mid to late August and early September. “We’re still finding great deals to Europe, like $500 (or less) nonstop tickets to London or Rome in that time frame after the transatlantic rush has slowed down a bit.”

Travelers to popular destinations should also pack a little extra patience in the face of staff shortages that the travel industry continues to experience in the hotel, restaurant and airline sectors.

“I’m concerned about the service delivery this year,” Agnos said. “Hiring staff remains very difficult, so service levels may not be comparable to pre-Covid levels, particularly in luxury travel services.”

Kathy Hirst, travel manager at Black Pearl Luxury Services, a Salt Lake City-based bespoke tour operator, said that while she is “excited” about the testing ban being lifted, she is also anticipating some frustration from customers who have waited to book international travel until testing is no longer needed and may now face limited availability.

“Now that they are ready to book, they will likely be disappointed because of the out-of-stock with tours, hotels, cruises and airline tickets,” Hirst said. “We are currently finding that many hotels, airlines, tour and cruise companies are having difficulties operating due to a lack of staff.”

Like Agnos, Hirst has noticed a significant increase in inquiries and bookings for European hotspots including France, Greece, Italy and the UK. She said destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico are also “extremely popular,” and demand overall has been so high that some of her colleagues are turning down requests to book personalized trips.

“These itineraries are a lot of fun to plan, but they are very time consuming and many consultants are turning away new clients because we are inundated with orders,” said Hirst.

“People have waited two years to travel, and pent-up demand is a good problem for us, but it also makes the days very long and stressful,” she said. “Hopefully things will stabilize over the next few months, but for now travel is hotter than I’ve seen in my 20+ years in the industry.”

*With input from CNN’s Marnie Hunter and Forrest Brown