The U.S. Is Opening Its Borders. Most International Travelers Remain Reluctant to Visit
Hotels and airlines should prepare for international guests who are still hesitant about entering the United States, writes travel and hospitality analyst Lindsey Roeschke
On Nov. 8, the United States will reopen its borders to international travelers for the first time in nearly 20 months. While there will be restrictions on incoming travel — with limited exceptions, visitors will have to provide proof of vaccination — the reopening represents a turning point for the travel industry. International travel spending reportedly decreased by 79 percent during the pandemic, with the United States last year seeing less than a quarter of the foreign visitors it had welcomed in 2019.
As global travelers prepare to visit the United States, Morning Consult surveyed consumers from 11 markets to understand how they may plan travel differently than they did before the pandemic.
Many international travelers are still uncertain about their plans to visit the United States
Travel brands will see a boost in revenue from incoming travelers, but the biggest wave will come in summer 2022.
Among seven of the countries that send the most travelers to the United States in a typical year — in rank order of pre-pandemic arrival numbers: Canada, Mexico, the U.K., China, Brazil, Germany and France — relatively few people have definite plans to travel to the United States in the next three months.
Travelers from key markets in the Americas — Brazil, Canada and Mexico — are the most likely to be certain about coming to the United States in the coming year, reflecting enduring hesitancy about long-haul travel.
