Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said:

“The U.S. lifting travel restrictions to restore transatlantic travel between the EU and the U.K. is welcome news - not only for hard-pressed airlines, but for the wider Travel & Tourism sector, which has been decimated by COVID-19.

“It will finally enable families to reunite, business travellers to resume face-to-face meetings and events, and for Travel & Tourism to return providing a major boost to these economies.

“Visitors from the EU to the U.S contributed more than $35 billion to the economy in 2019, and UK visitors more than $11 billion, showing just how critical this move will be to the nation’s economy.

“WTTC has long-been calling for the U.S. to reopen and our research shows that this measure could pump US$198 million back into the U.S. economy every single day.

“WTTC strongly advocates for fully vaccinated citizens to be able to travel freely and safely, irrespective of where they’re travelling from.”