Dallas: Airline and tourism groups are pushing for an end to the government’s requirement that international passengers provide a negative test for COVID-19 before boarding a plane bound for the US.
He believes the testing rule is discouraging people from booking international trips. They point to the United Kingdom, which last month abolished a similar rule.
Airlines for America, a trade group for the country’s largest carrier, among other travel associations was circulating a letter on Wednesday urging the Biden administration to eliminate the need for testing.
At the same time, another major tourism-industry group is calling for tax breaks for conventions and trade shows, which it believes will help revive business travel.
Domestic leisure travel in the US has reached pre-pandemic levels, but business and international travel have not fully recovered. According to the US Travel Association, from the beginning of 2020 to last December, spending in the US on travel declined by a cumulative $730 billion, and many jobs in the sector have not returned.
Last month, the United Kingdom dropped the requirement for vaccinated passengers to pass a COVID-19 test before flying to the country. Travel groups are asking the Biden administration to equally ease current US rules, saying it would encourage international flying.
Tory Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of the travel association, said people are reluctant to book international trips if there is a chance they could be stranded and unable to return home if they test positive for the virus.
Industry executives also noted that airlines saw a jump in bookings after the US ended country-specific restrictions on travel in November, and predicted the same would happen if the US dropped its pre-departure testing requirement. Will happen.
Testing rule does not apply to flights within the US
Government figures show that the surge in COVID-19 due to new forms of the virus has played a bigger role than testing requirements in discouraging travel.
From a low point in April 2020, compared to 2019, the number of people traveling to or within the United States increased each month until last August and September, when the delta version hit.
Recovery briefly resumed, then stalled in December and lagged in January, as the Omicron version pushed US COVID-19 cases to new records.
Separately, US Travel Association leaders said they were talking to members of Congress about tax changes they say would boost business travel.
The group is seeking a tax credit equal to 50% of the costs of organizers and sponsors for conventions and trade shows. A bill with consideration has set in place since it was introduced in the House nearly a year ago.
Since the pandemic began, many large conferences have been cancelled, moved online, or offered both online and in-person options. Travel association official Barnes said event organizers and small businesses need incentives to resume in-person events and business meetings.
The group also wants to reinstate a break that was eliminated in tax-cut legislation, approved in 2017 by former President Donald Trump and Congress led by Republicans. That law eliminated the 50% deduction for business expenses that are considered entertainment.
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David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
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