After a long 18 months of restrictions that left many families and loved ones separated, and cost global airline companies billions of dollars, the US lifted the travel ban to vaccinated international travelers. 

On Monday November 8, the United States reopened their borders to vaccinated foreign travelers. The U.S. will still not allow unvaccinated foreign travelers. International travelers will have to abide by the following set of rules: must be fully vaccinated, show proof of vaccination, and obtain a negative covid test, taken within three days of travel. People who have also received vaccines that have not been approved by the World Health Organization, will not be allowed to enter. Unvaccinated Americans, and children under 18 years of age, are exempt from these requirements, but must take a test within one day of travel.

This new shift is just in time for the holiday season, when tourism is at one of its highest peaks for international travelers. Popular cities like New York, Los Angeles and Miami thrive not only on American tourists but also heavily on international travelers during the holiday season. Big cities are anxious to make up for the time and revenue that was lost during lockdown. As reported by the New York Times: “In New York alone, the absence of tourists in 2020 resulted in a loss of $60 billion in revenue and wiped out 89,000 jobs across retail, arts, culture, hotels and transportation, the state comptroller found.” Even though foreign travels only account for one-fifth of the city’s visitors “they generate 50 percent of the city’s tourism spending, according to NYC & Company, the city’s tourism promotion agency” (New York Times). Reopening the borders to vaccinated foreign travelers will greatly help the U.S. economy. Over the course of this outstretched ban on travel, over 33 countries including China, India and Iran have lost nearly $300 billion in visitor spending and more than one million American jobs according to the US Travel Association.

After losing millions of dollars because of the pandemic, hotels and airlines are now back up and running at full capacity as the US lifts this international travel ban. As said by American Airlines, their “bookings over the three days after the announcement were up 66 percent for flights between Britain and the United States, 40 percent for those from Europe and 74 percent for Brazil, compared with a similar period a week earlier” (New York Times). United Airlines also said that “it sold more tickets for trans-Atlantic flights in the days after the announcement of the travel ban lift.” Delta Air Lines also stated that many of their “international flights on Monday were fully booked” (New York Times). Hotels across the nation, specifically in big cities have felt the impact of reopening. A hotel group named Hyatt said, “approximately 50 percent of its bookings by international travelers to the U.S. for the week of Nov. 8 came after the opening date was announced in mid-October” (New York Times).

With the lifting of the travel ban, it is clear that companies are hopeful that they will be able to gain lost revenue and that the economy will stabilize by having more international travelers.  There of course is also an added bonus of families and loved ones being able to reunite as well.