Tour operators are welcoming the news that the COVID-19 pre-departure testing rule for travelers visiting or returning to the United States has been eliminated.
Many tour operators pointed out that this was a necessary step and celebrated the news.
Melissa Da Silva, president of the Travel Corporation Tour Brands, the tour operator arm of The Travel Corporation praised the decision.
"The Biden administration lifting one of the longest-running travel restrictions of the pandemic is necessary and a highly anticipated leap forward in the return of travel. Most countries across the world have abandoned this approach and it's time we too eliminate requirements that have proven to be the last hurdle for many travelers hoping to vacation abroad," said Da Silva.
"We are celebrating this decision as it means our family of tour brands - Trafalgar, Contiki, Insight Vacations, Luxury Gold, Costsaver, Brendan Vacations and Adventure World Travel - and the thousands of travel professionals and partners we work with can focus on providing travelers the most incredible and stress-free experience. We know testing to return home was a barrier and concern for so many travelers to book that international ticket and I'm confident we'll see an uptick in interest in the coming days and weeks. We're ready to meet the demand," she added.
Collette has been operating travel internationally, while adhering to all testing regulations, since its first departure in April of 2021. The tour operator noted that eliminating this testing requirement will likely mean fewer cancelations for the company.
"We'll be following the administration's lead, while continuing to honor all local quarantine requirements within each country," said Jeff Roy, executive vice president for Collette. "We anticipate a significant reduction in last-minute cancellations due to the testing and quarantine requirements, as well as a resurgence in both guests and travel advisors booking more international travel for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023."
Steve Born, chief marketing officer for the Globus family of brands, noted that this will be good for travel advisors.
"Dropping testing requirements to re-enter the U.S. is a clear indicator of travel confidence. We've been waiting for this welcomed news for a long time and are thrilled the day to drop these requirements has finally arrived," said Born. "We know our advisor partners and their clients will be relieved by this news that will remove what's been seen as the leading barrier to international travel. We're poised and staffed to help advisors with the new demand and the positive impact it will have on international travel, including a welcomed boost in bookings for this summer and fall. We expect that remaining 2022 inventory will move quickly, so this is good timing for advisors to contact their client prospects and get things rolling."
Before the lifting of the pre-departure testing requirement, more than 260 travel industry and business organizations sent a letter to White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha calling for its repeal. Signatories to the letter included the U.S. Tour Operators Association as well as many tour operators.
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