Tourism leaders in Central Florida hailed the news Friday that international travelers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will be able to enter the country beginning Nov. 8, marking an end to restrictions that kept some families apart and barred a crucial group of tourists from visiting Orlando.
“The challenges over the past year have only reinforced what we’ve always known — international travelers are critical to the success of our destination,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, the region’s tourism marketing arm. “International visitors stay longer and spend more money per person — more than $6 billion annually in Central Florida before the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed international travel.”
She said the region was “ready to safely welcome them back to Orlando.”
Others in the tourism industry reacted with similar enthusiasm.
“The Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association and our members are excited to welcome back visitors from all over the world once again,” said Robert Agrusa, president and CEO of the hotelier group. “The entire hospitality industry is ready to safely provide world-class accommodations and memorable experiences for our international guests in the coming weeks ahead.”
Travel restrictions were imposed by the Trump administration early in the pandemic to slow the spread of COVID-19 before vaccine availability.
Unvaccinated foreigners will still be barred from entering the U.S., though some exemptions will allow young children to come.
The Biden administration, which extended the Trump order last winter, previously announced it planned to implement a system to allow fully vaccinated foreigners who show proof of a negative coronavirus test to cross into the U.S. in November, but the specific date had not been set. That day will be Nov. 8.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has informed airlines that vaccines approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization will be accepted for travel.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Orlando, said the announcement should boost tourism and the economy.
“It was welcomed news to hear that President Biden reduced international travel restrictions,” the mayor said. “Tourism is the major economic driver for Central Florida and with the return of international tourism, coupled with domestic travel, we should expect a full economic recovery for Orange County sooner rather than later.”
Rep. Demings called the president’s decision a “move to restore normalcy …”
“We need to do everything in our power to ensure that Florida’s businesses and economy continue to grow while also protecting Floridians and working to end this pandemic,” she said. ” Get vaccinated and come to Florida; we are open for business.”
In a news release, Demings also said her office has worked with dozens of Central Florida constituents –– including medical professionals, researchers, and critical infrastructure workers –– to secure exemptions to the travel ban in special cases that she described as “life or death” necessity.
Before the pandemic, international flight service accounted for about 14% of air traffic at Orlando International Airport, where domestic travel surged this year from early summer to Labor Day. Airport officials already have received notice from international carriers that they intend to resume transatlantic service to the Orlando airport soon as possible in early November, said Phil Brown, CEO of the Greater Orlando Airport Authority.
“We view pent-up travel demand as a global phenomenon,” Brown said.
Lifting international travel restrictions will help the struggling tourism sector, said Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond, who monitors collections of the county’s tourist tax, a 6% levy tacked onto the cost of a hotel room, home-sharing platforms like Airbnb and other short-term lodgings.
“They spend more on their hotels, they spend more on their purchases and they spend more because they don’t come as often,” he said of international visitors from far away places like Britain, Brazil and the Middle East. “[Coming here] is a big event for them, and if it’s a big event, they’re more inclined to stay longer and spend more. Ultimately that’s good for our economy and good for our employment.”
Before the pandemic shuttered theme parks and hotels, the region was on pace to break visitor records set in the 2018-2019 fiscal year.
The U.S. Travel Association, an industry group of 1,100 member organizations, had called for lifting restrictions for vaccinated travelers.
“Reopening to international visitors will provide a jolt to the economy and accelerate the return of travel-related jobs that were lost due to travel restrictions,” the association’s CEO and President Roger Dow said in a statement posted on the group’s website Friday.
The announcement also should lift large airlines like Delta and American, which have struggled with profitability without international travel.
Visit Orlando’s Matej said international visitors returning to Orlando for the first time since the pandemic may find surprises.
“Despite the pandemic, Orlando opened major attractions both within our theme parks and throughout the destination, several hotel properties opened or completed renovations and our restaurant scene has continued to expand with new options for all types of travelers,” she said.
shudak@orlandosentinel.com
