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COVID-19: Vaccinated international visitors now welcome to enter the US

*It is now ‘Welcome to America!’ once again, as the United States flung open the doors to its borders to vaccinated visitors from around the world November 8, 2021, and international flight bookings surge about 450 percent within days

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

As vacinations against the disruptive Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continue in the country and other countries across the world, it is now ‘Welcome to America!’ once again, as the United States (US) flung open the doors to its borders to vaccinated visitors from around the world Monday, November 8, 2021.

ConsumerConnect gathered as long as most foreign tourists can show proof of vaccination and a recent negative COVID-19 test, they are welcome to roam the US from one end to the other.

However, there are some extra guidelines that some travellers will have to follow on top of being vaccinated and having a negative COVID-19 test, report said.

A full list of those rules and exceptions is available, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC is the national public health agency of the United States, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and it is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

It is a welcome relief ─Tourists, Observers

While this does not signal an end to the extant pandemic, observers regard this development as a major milestone, and it certainly, comes as welcome relief after a year-and-a-half of the US keeping international visitors out.

It was learnt that cities, airlines, and hotels are sure to be celebrations since they may soon find themselves moving back toward a positive profit margin.

According to report, a case in point is San Francisco, which enjoyed a record 2.9 million international visitor arrivals in pre-pandemic 2019.

International tourists comprised about 25 percent of overnight visitors that year, but they generated more than 60 percent of all overnight visitor spending.

Joe D’Alessandro, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of San Francisco Travel Association (SF Travel), commented that “November 8th marks the true beginning of our tourism recovery.

“The return of international tourists is vital to San Francisco’s economic recovery. They tend to stay longer and spend more.”

Meanwhile, Delta Airlines said its international bookings surged 450 percent ahead of the reopening, and that its international flights were expected to operate at 100 percent capacity November 8.

High passenger volume is also expected throughout the following weeks leading up to the holidays in the country.

The landmark reopening and subsequent travel restrictions are said to be a win-win for both international travellers coming into the US and American travellers hoping to travel overseas.

In sharing his thoughts with ConsumerAffairs, ScottsCheapFlights’ Senior Product Operations Specialist Willis Orlando noted that travellers to Europe, Canada, Brazil, and South Africa can expect good airfare deals, at least for a while.

Orlando said: “Airlines have successfully stayed ahead of this surge in demand by beefing up their schedules, adding more routes, and more, larger planes flying across the Atlantic. “While in the long term prices should normalise, in the short term, this oversupply of seats is leading to frequent, widespread fare sales from the US to Europe and vice versa.”

How good are these deals? Let’s just say travellers who have been waiting to take to the skies will have plenty of incentive to do so, according to report.

He also noted: “In recent weeks, we’ve seen incredible deals on major carriers, including $354 roundtrip from Boston to Copenhagen, $325 roundtrip from New York and Chicago to Switzerland, and $469 roundtrip from dozens of US cities to Amsterdam.

“All in all, this rule change has created a prime opportunity for Americans who are itching to get back out and explore the world again to snag a great deal and hit the skies.”

On other US international fares via Google Flights, investigation revealed that Orlando seemed to be spot on.

For example, there was a $581 round trip Indianapolis to Prague fare available in December, a $572 round trip fare from Houston to Paris, and a $552 round trip fare from Richmond, Va., to Milan, Italy, report stated.

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