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WASHINGTON – U.S. travel demand remains low, even as tens of millions of Americans are vaccinated for COVID-19, with only 12% planning a spring break this year, the industry said Thursday.
The industry has been devastated in recent years by the collapse of travel demand due to the pandemic. The American Travel Association said the poll he commissioned suggested that Americans remain cautious about travel and that “it is far from clear when the demand for travel will recover on its own.”
The industry has again encouraged new tax credits to encourage leisure and business travel.
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“We really can not recover until we get this pandemic under control,” said Roger Dow, chief executive of the American Travel Association, adding that the travel departments still advise employees not to travel.
The travel industry has also been hit by restrictions that have prevented millions of international travelers from coming to the United States for non-essential travel from Europe, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to discourage Americans from traveling unnecessarily. The group calls on the US government to set a target date for the resumption of international travel, which is almost 80% lower.
In early 2020, the U.S. travel industry employed 16.9 million people, down from 8.7 million in April 2020. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it has recovered to 13 million jobs since January.
Hotels, airlines, restaurants, conference centers and other travel destinations are still hurting and major events remain virtual. Many travel destinations remain closed like Disneyland, while others like professional sporting events have limited fans.
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According to the industry, the number of plans to travel during the spring break dropped from 16% a week earlier.
The group believes the travel demand will find a significant setback on Memorial Day on May 31st. President Joe Biden said this week that by the end of May, the United States will have enough COVID-19 vaccine for every American adult.