A man checks in at a COVID-19 testing site in the International Arrivals area of Los Angeles International Airport on December 22, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Frederick J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images
Travel and Hospitality CEO Biden is mounting pressure on the administration to eliminate a requirement that anyone flying into the US present a negative COVID-19 test before departure, saying the rule was discouraging visitors. and is harming the tourism industry of the country.
The push comes after the United Kingdom, Italy, Greece and others lifted similar requirements as pandemic restrictions ease around the world.
In the US, health officials still require passengers flying into the country to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test, regardless of their vaccination status or citizenship. People can also present evidence that they have recovered from Covid. Other countries, including South Korea and Japan, also require travelers to submit a negative COVID test.
“The requirement for pre-departure testing creates uncertainty for travelers, another obstacle that could lead them to choose a destination with less friction,” Marriott CEO Tony Capuano said in a statement to CNBC. “America will be missed if we don’t eliminate those unnecessary barriers.”
About 40 US mayors, including San Francisco and Miami, also sent a letter this week to White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr Ashish Jha, urging him to lift the requirement. The letter said US cities are still struggling to get international visitors back.
Travel industry executives also met Jha last week, but they say they haven’t got a timeline for when the need might end.
“They are unable to say when pre-departure testing will be lifted,” US Travel Association president Tori Barnes told CNBC after the meeting.
The White House did not return a request for comment.
“Pre-departure testing is preventing international travelers from booking travel to the US,” said John Bortz, CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, which owns 54 hotels nationwide.
Glenn Fogel, CEO of the world’s largest online travel operator, said, Booking Holdings, said the need for testing is prompting people to travel to other countries. In other cases, he said, people only find ways around necessity.
“We also see examples of avoiding the ban by flying into Canada or Mexico and driving across board,” Fogel said in a statement.
In a note to investors on Wednesday, Morgan Stanley analyst Jamie Rollo wrote that the need for testing is becoming especially worrying for cruise passengers who worry about being stuck on the ship testing positive.
Intercontinental Hotels Group CEO Keith Barr expressed disappointment over the country’s testing need on CNBC’s “closing bell” on Tuesday.
“It’s out of step with the rest of the world,” he said.