LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AmericanTours International (ATI) joined the U.S. Travel Association and 24 leading industry associations in urging the U.S. Government to lift outdated restrictions on international travel. U.S. Travel released the proposed framework to safely lift entry restrictions, focusing on reserving restrictions for only the highest-risk countries and replacing all blanket travel restrictions with risk-based entry protocols taking into account individual risk profiles. At the same time, 75 bipartisan members of congress sent a letter to the White House asking for updated international travel rules.
As America’s leading destination management company, ATI was asked to provide insight to develop the framework alongside leading trade organizations.
“The lifting of outdated and illogical international travel restrictions is critical not only for our industry, but for America’s overall economy,” said Noel Irwin Hentschel, ATI’s founder and CEO.
Hentschel has advised seven U.S. Secretaries of Commerce on tourism matters. She explained further, “The restrictions put in place by the previous administration were ill-conceived from the start. This administration has an opportunity with this roadmap to update them to make sense. Putting in place a risk-based framework is both good policy and it will create thousands of good paying union jobs in top destinations for international travelers like New York and San Francisco.”
According to U.S. Travel, each week that travel restrictions remain in place, the U.S. loses $1.5 billion in spending just from Canada, the European Union, and the U.K – enough money to support 10,000 American jobs weekly.
“We have the knowledge and the tools we need to restart international travel safely, and it is past time that we use them,” said U.S. Travel President and CEO Roger Dow.
Travel restrictions implemented last March by the previous administration have not been updated despite the pace of vaccinations in countries like the U.K. completely changing their risk profile. Yet many other countries with lower vaccination rates and worse Covid situations are not subjected to these restrictions. This is why ATI along with the travel industry at large are urging the U.S. Government to put in place an updated framework for international travel by July 15, 2021.
ATI is the largest privately-held, American, and woman-owned destination management company in North America.
