The US travel industry welcomes the Biden administration’s changes to travel rules

The US travel industry breathed a sigh of relief on Monday after the Biden administration said it would ease longstanding restrictions on international travelers, allowing those who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to visit the country beginning in November. The 18-month travel ban on travelers from Europe, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil and India has been crippling for the industry, which suffered a $500b loss in travel expenditures in 2020, including a 79% decease in spending from international travel, according to the US Travel Association, a trade group that promotes travel to and within the country. There were 19.4m international visitors to the United States in 2020, less than one-quarter of the number who visited in 2019. Unvaccinated travelers from many countries, including Mexico, Canada and Japan, who have been permitted to travel to the United States before Monday’s announcement will not be allowed in once the new proclamation takes effect. Roger Dow, the president of the US Travel Association, praised the lifting of the restrictions on vaccinated travelers. “The US Travel Association applauds the Biden administration’s announcement of a road map to reopen air travel to vaccinated individuals from around the world, which will help revive the American economy and protect public health,” he said Monday. “This is a major turning point in the management of the virus and will accelerate the recovery of the millions of travel-related jobs that have been lost due to international travel restrictions.”<br/>