“Travel and tourism is the industry hardest hit by the economic fallout of COVID, and the damage is so severe that a broader economic recovery will stall if we can’t get travel off the ground,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow.

The U.S. Travel Association is just one of the 26 organizations that sent a letter to the White House calling on the Biden Administration to open up American travel.

Leaders from the U.S. travel and aviation industry are challenging the current administration to establish a May 1 deadline to commit to a plan for reopening the country to inbound international visitation.

Dow said the industry is calling on the current White House resident “to partner with us to develop… a risk-based, data-driven roadmap to rescind inbound international travel restrictions.”

“Fortunately, enough progress has been made on the health front that a rebound for domestic leisure travel looks possible this year, but that alone won’t get the job done,” he said.” A full travel recovery will depend on reopening international markets, and we must also contend with the challenge of reviving business travel.”

The letter to the White House noted that 2020 international arrivals to the U.S.:

🔴fell 62% from Mexico versus the previous year,

🔴77% from Canada,

🔴and a whopping 81% from overseas markets

The total loss to the U.S. economy in that travel industry in 2020 was $146 billion!

But more data shows total travel spending dropped nearly $500 billion, or 42%, during the pandemic, costing the U.S. economy $1.1 trillion in economic output.

Updated numbers, compiled by Tourism Economics for the U.S. Travel Association, now show spending on domestic travel was down 36%, from $993.5 billion in 2019, to $638.1 billion in 2020.

Spending on international travel fell 72%, from $179.1 billion to $42.2 billion, Tourism Economics said. 

The significant decline in that travel segment is a big reason why travel’s total economic output in the U.S. declined by more than a trillion dollars in 2020, with 5.6 million travel-supported jobs lost—65% of all U.S. jobs lost last year.

“Updated data shows travel spending dropped nearly $500 billion, or 42%, during the pandemic, costing the U.S. economy $1.1 trillion in economic output.

The new numbers, compiled by Tourism Economics for the U.S. Travel Association, show spending on domestic travel was down 36%, from $993.5 billion in 2019, to $638.1 billion in 2020.

Spending on international travel fell 72%, from $179.1 billion to $42.2 billion, Tourism Economics said. 

The impact was similarly devastating for travel jobs, which the firm said fell by 5.6 million in 2020 — from 16.7 million to 11.1 million — accounting for 65% of all American jobs lost to the economic fallout of the pandemic. Travel and tourism had supported 11% of the U.S. workforce prior to the onset of Covid, the data showed.

These travel industry leaders presented the numbers to policymakers in Washington last week during a virtual version of the group’s annual meeting with members of Congress. Executives used the event to continue their push for legislation to promote the industry’s recovery.

If nothing is done to lift international travel bans and bring back demand, the U.S. Travel Association estimates that a total of a 1.1 million American jobs will not be restored and $262 billion in export spending will be lost by the end of 2021.

However, if travel from the top inbound markets to the U.S is able to safely resume by July 4, 2021 and reach an average of 40% of 2019 levels for the remainder this year, it would accelerate economic recovery by adding $30 billion in incremental spending and bringing back 225,000 American jobs.

The letter states, “the data and science demonstrate that the right public health measures are now in place to effectively mitigate risk and allow for the safe removal of entry restrictions.”

The letter points to favorable trends in infections, hospitalizations, and vaccinations as indicating the proper moment to set a goals timeline for reopening.

“Taken together, these factors paint a clear picture,” the letter reads. “The risk of COVID-19 transmission while flying is low…The burden of the virus on our nation’s public health system is decreasing. Airlines, airports and travel businesses have the right protections and strategies in place to mitigate risk.

“We are ready to welcome back travelers and keep them safe. And the time to plan for and chart a defined roadmap to reopen international travel is now.”