Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have announced the launch of scheduled flights and holidays from Bristol Airport to Morocco for the first time.
03.10.2023 - 20:03 / skift.com / Geoff Freeman / Dawit Habtemariam / Fred Dixon
Long wait times for visas and an outdated air infrastructure hobble the U.S.’s ability to attract travelers, said executives at the Skift Global Forum.
Global destinations like New York City are facing serious competition from destinations like Saudi Arabia that have been upgrading their tourist infrastructure and spending more on tourism promotion, said NYC Tourism+Conventions CEO and President Fred Dixon.
“As countries roll out more welcoming policies, easier access, these are going to be challenges to markets like New York that have long been successful and dominant in this space,” said Dixon.
This year, long visa wait times in China, India, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and other top markets will cost the U.S. $12 billion in traveler spending, said U.S. Travel Association CEO and President Geoff Freeman. Visa wait times for the U.S.’s top inbound markets are over 400 days on average.
In China, the U.S. was the third most searched destination for mid-autumn, but it came in 9th place in terms of total visa applications, according to Trip.com Group data shared by Dixon.
Visa wait times in China have been inching up to 200 days, said Freeman. That problem will only compound next year when 10 million Chinese citizens have to renew their visa next year.
“This is anything but a welcoming environment,” said Freeman. “If you are a leisure traveler or a business traveler, you’re likely to say, I’ll go somewhere else.”
There’s been improvement in visa wait times in some inbound markets. Wait times in Brazil have been reduced by 50%, but it’s still stuck at 200 days, said Freeman. “It is still, I think from a U.S. standpoint, embarrassing if we want to be competitive,” he said.
“In markets like Brazil and Mexico and Colombia, we need to do a better job of making sure that they can access the United States,” said Dixon. “As a destination, we need to clear these pipes.”
Other countries have adopted visa-free policies to take the U.S.’s share of international travel, said Freeman. Canada waived its visa requirement for 11 countries and the UK has expanded visa-free travel to 100 countries this year. Meanwhile, the U.S. currently only has visa-free travel for 42 countries.
About 23% of all U.S. flights are delayed or canceled and airports make air travel a “hassle,” said Freeman.
“The experience getting through many of the airports, getting through TSA, where lines are getting longer is anything but comfortable,” said Freeman. While leisure travelers are more willing to put up with the discomfort, business travelers won’t because they can use virtual alternatives like Zoom to avoid trips.
La Guardia Airport showed what’s possible with more investment. “The exception is places like LaGuardia. Now, who would have said
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have announced the launch of scheduled flights and holidays from Bristol Airport to Morocco for the first time.
The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel alert to all Americans traveling abroad on Thursday, urging them to exercise caution due to heightened tensions in various locations and potential terrorist attacks and violent actions against U.S. citizens. The alert is in response to the global consequences of ongoing the war between Israel and Hamas.
The U.S. State Department issued on Thursday a “worldwide caution” to Americans traveling abroad as the war between Israel and Hamas stokes tensions globally. Americans were advised to “stay alert in locations frequented by tourists.”
Israel is continuing to bombard Gaza - home to more than 2 million inhabitants - after militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack last weekend.
Nearly 6.5 million international travelers came to the U.S. in July, representing 84% of its pre-pandemic level, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data release. Compared to July 2022, international travel to the U.S. is up 25%.
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On Saturday, violence erupted across Israel and Gaza in one of the worst conflicts the region has seen in decades, according to The New York Times. After Hamas militants began launching thousands of rockets and infiltrating Israeli towns early Saturday morning, the conflict has continued to escalate, with Israel’s military responding with massive air strikes. The violence has left thousands dead, according to CNN. Thousands more are injured on both sides.
Update: October 10, 2023, at 1:59 p.m. ET
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International traveler spending on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. totaled $19 billion in August 2023, its highest level since the pandemic hit in 2020, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. August international traveler spending, however, was still below its 2019 pre-pandemic total of $19.6 billion.
Israel has declared it is at war after militants from the fundamentalist group Hamas sprung a surprise attack on the country from Gaza.
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have announced that their biggest ever Summer Sun programme is now on sale for 2025 from Bristol Airport, offering a brand-new and exclusive destination, as well as more seats and choice than ever before. The UK’s largest tour operator and leading leisure airline has put 34 sunshine destinations on sale from Bristol Airport, including a brand-new and exclusive route to Kalamata. The addition of this new route, alongside increased capacity to other destinations, makes this Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ largest ever Summer Sun programme to operate from the airport.