by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:34 AM ET, Tue August 31, 2021
The travel industry is reacting to the latest news that the European Union has recommended that member countries reinstate COVID-related travel restrictions on unvaccinated citizens from the United States and five other nations.
On Monday, the EU passed non-binding guidance for the 27-nation bloc to remove the U.S. from a list of countries whose citizens can visit without additional coronavirus restrictions, such as quarantine and testing requirements.
The non-binding recommendations mean each individual country within the EU can decide whether to allow nonessential travel for fully vaccinated tourists. In addition to the U.S., Kosovo, Israel, Montenegro, Lebanon and North Macedonia have been removed from the exemption list.
U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the EU restrictions.
"This is a disappointing development following the boost in inbound visitation by vaccinated travelers that many E.U. countries experienced this summer. It's a setback despite the uptake in vaccinations-the tool that's highly effective against the variants-which are on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic."
"Travel is a crucial component of the global economy and will be necessary for a full recovery from the economic devastation of the pandemic. We encourage the E.U. to remain open to vaccinated Americans, and likewise urge the United States to take immediate steps to begin welcoming vaccinated individuals and restoring our travel economy."
International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Willie Walsh also responded to the updated restriction recommendations:
"While this is a disappointing development for businesses and people who rely on travel, the data from the US and Israel supports the value and benefit of vaccination. As governments rightly urge their populations to be vaccinated, governments need to be confident in the benefits they bring-including the freedom to travel. At a minimum, those who are fully vaccinated should be free to move without restriction."
The Points Guy's Senior Travel Reporter Victoria Walker also released a statement about the changes and the possible impact on the travel industry:
"We'll have to watch country-by-country to see if countries adopt the EU recommendation. If they do, it will almost certainly make it harder to travel, and the relatively easy travel requirements U.S. citizens have had will disappear."
"If you have travel plans coming up in the next few weeks, take a closer look to see if there's some flexibility in case you have to postpone or cancel. This is also a great time to remind travelers to avoid booking non-refundable travel, such as flights and hotels."
WTTC President Julia Simpson also released a statement about the EU's changes:
"Protecting public health must remain the priority and WTTC strongly supports safety protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19. However, the EU's recommendation to reimpose restrictions on U.S. travelers is a step backwards."
"With high vaccination levels, we should be looking at opening up travel between these two major economies. Tourism is vital to restoring normal life and tens of thousands of jobs in both the U.S. and the EU. Critically, we need a common set of rules that recognize global vaccines and remove the need to quarantine for people with a negative COVID result."
"The UAE has announced a sensible way forward welcoming all fully vaccinated travelers regardless of which country they come from, plus a negative test result, a move that WTTC says will speed up the recovery of its Travel & Tourism sector and provide a massive boost to its economy."
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