The US Travel Association has vowed to “turn up the heat” on the Biden administration to ease “arcane” pre-departure testing rules.
Speaking at the IPW Conference in Orlando, US Travel chief executive Roger Dow said the industry was guilty of being “too nice” and needed to be more aggressive in its lobbying.
Dow said a meeting between industry leaders and the US government’s Coronavirus Task Force last week had led to an acknowledgement that there was no scientific justification for the retention of current testing requirements for vaccinated travellers.
However, he admitted there was no clear timeframe on when the president and his advisors would ease the curbs which if removed could result in an estimated additional 5.4 million visitors and $9 billion additional spend in 2022.
Dow said: “Travel is like water – water will seek the easiest way and it’s the same with travellers. We are missing out on an opportunity to rebuild the US economy.”
He added: “If you want to come to the US from the UK or Germany, you just need to fly to Canada and walk or drive across the border. It must be a clever virus that can spread in an aircraft but not in a car, and it makes no sense.
“In the travel industry we are very nice but on this we are turning up the heat. It is now time to turn this thing around and we need to be more aggressive.”
Dow’s comments were echoed by The American Society of Travel Advisors (Asta), which said the rules were also the main barrier to outbound travel from the US.
Speaking ahead of a senate hearing on “reviving conventions and tourism through international travel”, Asta chief executive Zane Kerby said: “As senators gather to discuss ways to restore international travel, we want to highlight the number one barrier to our industry’s recovery – the inbound testing order.
“This order has little to no impact on Covid rates at home, while the economic damage it causes grows by the day.
“Determined travellers have and will find a way around ill-conceived systems, and the costs to citizens and those visiting the US far outweigh the benefits.
“It’s time for the US to match our closest trading partners on this front, start managing the virus and let travel-reliant businesses recover from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
In addition to the impact on the recovery of testing, inflation and concerns around safety, Dow and US Travel executive vice-president Tori Emerson-Barnes also flagged challenges around a shortage of workers which has impacted the travel and tourism industry in a range of markets.
Emerson-Barnes said the association was making efforts to develop a more diverse workforce and facilitate immigration reforms to address the shortfall and added: “Not having employees is just as damaging as not having customers.”
Dow, who is stepping down as the association’s chief executive after 17 years, hinted his next business project would focus on addressing the issue, including changing perceptions to enhance the sector’s appeal to potential millennial and Generation Z workers.