In a move that is being received equally enthusiastically on both sides of the border, the US has dropped pre-departure testing requirements for vaccinated air travellers entering the country. The move took effect Sunday (June 12).

“(This) marks another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States,” enthused US Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “This action… will welcome back visitors from around the world and accelerate the recovery of the US travel industry.”

Oddly enough, the news came the day after the conclusion of US Travel’s signature IPW trade show and marketplace in Orlando, which attracted 4,800 attendees from more than 60 countries – including Canada.

As the US’s No. 1 market, the implications on this side of the border are particularly significant.

Despite the Canadian travel industry having been more focussed in recent weeks on ending random arrivals tests at airports here, the US measures were equally annoying and bewildering – not least because tests were not required at land crossings (creating a scenario in which a Canadian could enter the US by car and fly to the same destination from a border airport without testing).

Though considerably cheaper than PCR testing, even an antigen test requirement was shown to be a drag on travel demand to the US due to cost (about $40), inconvenience (of getting the test and uploading it into airline apps), and fear of testing positive (even with no symptoms) less than 24 hour before a flight, thereby forcing postponement of the trip.

Further, the need to test and stress over getting a positive result in a non-US destination before a connecting flight through the country. (Ed note: We faced this scenario for an upcoming flight based on a mere 60-minute connection in Miami).

Dow said more than half of international travellers in a recent survey pointed to the pre-departure testing requirement as a major deterrent for inbound travel to the US and USTA analysis suggested that repealing the pre-departure measure could bring an additional 5.4 million visitors to the country and an additional $9 billion in travel spending through the remainder of 2022.

He further noted that US Travel and its partners have been advocating “tirelessly” for months to have the pre-departure testing requirement lifted.

In February, the groups argued the testing requirement was obsolete because of the high number of omicron cases already in every state, higher vaccinations rates, and new treatments for the virus.

After the announcement on Friday, many of those advocates from across the travel and tourism spectrum cheered the news.

“We are thrilled to see the end of the CDC’s inbound testing rule, which has been standing in the way of our industry’s recovery for too long,” said American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) President & CEO Zane Kerby. “We commend the Biden Administration for taking this long-overdue step and thank ASTA members across the country for their hard work in helping get this across the finish line. While plenty of challenges remain in terms of rebuilding the travel agency business, today is a great day.”

Kerby said ASTA’s advocacy efforts had resulted in over 100 Congressional meetings, nearly 4,000 grassroots emails to the Administration, 7,400 letters to the editor through its grassroots portal, and multiple ASTA and coalition letters to Administration officials.

Nicholas E. Cali, president and CEO of Airlines for America (A4A) said, “Lifting this policy will help encourage and restore air travel to the United States, benefiting communities across the country that rely heavily on travel and tourism to support their local economies…”

Indeed, in welcoming the development, NYC & Company’s Fred Dixon said, “In NYC, international travel represents 50% of spending in a typical year. In fact, it takes the spending power of four domestic visitors to equal the spending of one international traveller, so easing the entry process means a stronger and faster recovery.”

And Holland America president Gus Antorcha noted that the news was good for returning American travellers too.

“The CDC ending its requirement of a negative COVID-19 test for Americans to re-enter the United States is an important step forward in the return to all global travel, including cruising. The change means that US travellers can pursue their love of cruising… from homeports in Europe, Canada, and Australia without concern they could be denied entry to return home.”

US officials cautioned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would re-evaluate the need for the testing requirement every 90 days and that it could be reinstated if a troubling new variant emerges.