ASTA is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prioritize restoring consumer confidence in travel, saying that the CDC’s communications about travel have been “uneven at best.”
ASTA CEO Zane Kerby outlined the Society’s stance to CDC director Robert Redfield in a letter on June 9.
“We recognize that, given the scale of the pandemic, a return to normalcy will be a slow and deliberate process, heavily influenced by government policy both here and abroad,” Kerby wrote. “A key aspect of this rebound, perhaps the central one, is the need for assurances from public health officials that is safe for consumers to travel again.”
ASTA outlined four main goals that the CDC should tackle: setting clear standards across all travel modes, prioritizing the restart of the cruise industry, prioritizing resumption of passport processing (the State Department announced a phased approach to resuming passport operations last week after ASTA sent its letter), and prioritizing the resumption of international travel.
So far, the CDC’s messaging has been inconsistent with regard to travel, Kerby said, pointing to the specific no-sail order for cruise lines but less messaging for other travel modes.
“In the absence of clear communication, the entire population remains essentially in the dark, left to rely on a patchwork of regional, state and local pronouncements to inform their decision-making with respect to travel,” Kerby wrote. “Airlines, hoteliers, cruise lines, tour operators, car rental companies, insurance providers and others are similarly left to their own devices as to when to restart operations in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic.
“This uncertainty is, unquestionably, inhibiting the pace of the revival of the travel industry, a goal we know you share.”
Citing member surveys, ASTA believes travel agencies expect to lose at least $7.7 billion in revenue this year, a 50%-plus contraction of the industry. More than half of agencies expect to go out of business by September if conditions remain the same.
Citing U.S. Travel Association numbers, ASTA said 8 million travel-related jobs were lost through April — 38% of all job losses during the pandemic.
