Will Swiss tourists soon be able to travel to the US again?

In the song “If I’m Going to San Francisco,” the word “if” has to be emphasized since the outbreak of the pandemic. Because since mid-March 2020, the United States has closed its doors to almost all foreign tourists – there is no end in sight to the rule. Vacations in a California hippie city, a visit to the Grand Canyon, or a city trip to New York should wait until today.

But now ‘if’ can soon become ‘when’ (if). Because US President Joe Biden’s government is considering easing entry rules for travelers from Great Britain, Mexico, Canada – and Europe. As reported by the Financial Times, The White House took the first steps to make this happen. It will examine when and how non-US citizens will be allowed to return to the United States.

The Swiss are in contact with the US authorities

The openness of the United States would be a huge relief, not least for Switzerland. Because North American flights are the most important line of business for the airline. “We are closely monitoring the development of the situation and are communicating with the US representation in Switzerland, the Swiss representative on site, as well as with the responsible US authorities, together with the Lufthansa Group,” a Swiss spokeswoman said. For a few weeks now, there has been an increase in the demand for flights to the USA. Swiss is ready to open and increase another interview in demand.

The only question left is: When? The United States has set itself the goal of reaching the critical level of the vaccination rate in the population by the national holiday, July 4. Roger Dow, president of the American Travel Association, speculated in the Financial Times that it would soon open to foreign tourists.

Hotelplan confident

Migros travel company Hotelplan was also optimistic about the overall booking numbers. There is talk of blossoming in connection with summer. And: “Once other long-distance destinations such as the USA or Canada ease their entry requirements for Swiss, the demand for these destinations will also increase exponentially,” says Tim Bachmann, President of Swiss Hotelplan.