ASTA to CDC: Make Restoring Travel Confidence a ‘Top Priority’
byDaniel McCarthy/
在启动旅游业的重新启动方面,缺乏政府的沟通使消费者的信心很难成长,现在是时候让疾病控制和预防中心(CDC)和其他政府组织开始解决问题了。
That’s according to a letter ASTA’s president and CEO Zane Kerby sent to Director Robert R. Redfield of the CDC on Monday.
In the letter, ASTA writes that because of the “catastrophic impact” that COVID-19 has had on the travel agency community (it expects to lose at least $7.7 billion this year, according to ASTA surveys), a heavier emphasis has to be placed on restoring consumer confidence in the travel system.
“For the livelihood of these Americans, their families, their clients and the traveling public, it is critical that the travel industry rebound as quickly as possible,” Kerby wrote, explaining that messages from government health officials will outweigh those coming from other sources, including those from travel suppliers.
“For the federal government, this means the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must have a central role in formulating specific guidelines for travel in the near future.”
The CDC’s guidance so far, Kerby wrote, “has been uneven at best,” with a No Sail Order in March for the cruise industry but very little guidance on other segments of the travel industry, which has “unquestionably” inhibited the revival of the industry.
The letter outlines four goals that the CDC, along with other government organizations, can take now to move toward that goal:
1. Set clear standards across all travel modes.
ASTA is asking the CDC to tell suppliers in each segment was steps they need to take to reopen and restart, which ASTA believes “will supercharge the nascent travel recovery” by allowing consumers to start booking with confidence.
2. Prioritize the restart of the cruise industry.
ASTA is asking for specific timelines for the CDC to release to restart the cruise industry.
3. Prioritize passport processing.
根据国务院的数据,在Covid-19提出的“前所未有的挑战”之后,美国护照服务已开始恢复。只有11个护照机构进入了服务的第一阶段重新启动。为了真正回到正常状态,ASTA敦促疾病预防控制中心和国家开拓者“使正常护照处理操作的恢复成为优先事项”。
4. Prioritize the resumption of international travel.
Subject to health, safety, and security measures, ASTA urges “the Administration to focus the diplomatic assets of the U.S. government toward working with governments across the globe to restore a free flow of travel across borders.” Currently, the State Deptartment still has a Level 4: Do Not Travel Global Health Advisory, which has been active since March 31.
“与美国国会和私营部门一起为旅行业务提供的经济救济结合在一起,我们认为上面概述的步骤将有助于灌输消费者的信心,使美国的经济及其勇敢的旅行者再次搬家。”