Because of the loosening of regulations, the number of overseas visitors to the United States is expected to increase dramatically.

There will certainly be an uptick in demand from overseas markets as a result of the announcement by the Biden administration that international entrants to the US would no longer be required to be vaccinated against Covid beginning on Thursday, 11 May.

U.S. airlines created a record number of aircraft delays during the busiest travel season of summer 2022, much like their counterparts in the United Kingdom and Europe. The TSA forecasts that summer plane traffic this year will be higher than it was before the 2009 outbreak.

Travel industry representative US Travel Association president and CEO Geoff Freeman said, “That kind of demand in a system that is woefully underfunded and understaffed is likely to create substantial frustrations among travellers.”

Mr. Freeman added, “the return of international visitors should be as efficient and secure as possible. The United States government needs to hire more Customs and Border Protection agents to staff its airports and other ports of entry to keep up with the rising number of travellers.

Although the pre-departure Covid test requirement was eliminated in June 2022, the United States still requires all international travellers arriving by air to show proof that they have been vaccinated against Covid. This requirement has been in place since November 2021, when the country reopened its borders. The United States is one of only a small number of nations that mandates vaccinations for foreign visitors.

With 39% of all international tourists coming from Europe, the United Kingdom is the leading source market for international visitors to the United States, bringing in 4.8 million people and generating $239 billion (£192 billion) in 2019.

The US border reopened in November 2021, but the recovery of British tourists has lagged behind that of numerous other European countries, according to a study by the US Travel Association.

Due to factors such as rising prices, underlying recession worries, and a strong currency, the organisation does not expect a full rebound in international inbound until 2025.

Air travel demand also fell in April for the second month in a row, down 2% from March 2019 levels.

However, many would-be visitors to the UK will have their plans simplified by the removal of vaccine restrictions. The US Travel Association estimates that the elimination of pre-departure testing last summer will bring in an additional 5.4 million tourists and generate an additional $9 billion (£7.1 billion) in revenue by the year 2022.

SOURCE :-  https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/us-covid-vaccine-mandate-travellers-summer-chaos-2311132