ASTA is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention to prioritize restoring consumer confidence in travel, saying that
the CDC’s communications about travel have been “uneven at best.”
ASTA CEO Zane Kerby outlined the Society’s stance to CDC
director Robert Redfield in a letter on June 9.
“We recognize that, given the scale of the pandemic, a
return to normalcy will be a slow and deliberate process, heavily influenced by
government policy both here and abroad,” Kerby wrote. “A key aspect of this
rebound, perhaps the central one, is the need for assurances from public health
officials that is safe for consumers to travel again.”
ASTA outlined four main goals that the CDC should tackle: setting
clear standards across all travel modes, prioritizing the restart of the cruise
industry, prioritizing resumption of passport processing (the State Department
announced a phased approach to resuming passport operations last week after
ASTA sent its letter), and prioritizing the resumption of international travel.
So far, the CDC’s messaging has been inconsistent with
regard to travel, Kerby said, pointing to the specific no-sail order for cruise
lines but less messaging for other travel modes.
“In the absence of clear communication, the entire
population remains essentially in the dark, left to rely on a patchwork of
regional, state and local pronouncements to inform their decision-making with
respect to travel,” Kerby wrote. “Airlines, hoteliers, cruise lines, tour
operators, car rental companies, insurance providers and others are similarly
left to their own devices as to when to restart operations in the face of an
unprecedented global pandemic.
“This uncertainty is, unquestionably, inhibiting the pace of
the revival of the travel industry, a goal we know you share.”
Citing member surveys, ASTA believes travel agencies expect
to lose at least $7.7 billion in revenue this year, a 50%-plus contraction of
the industry. More than half of agencies expect to go out of business by
September if conditions remain the same.
Citing U.S. Travel Association numbers, ASTA said 8 million travel-related jobs were lost through April -- 38% of all
job losses during the pandemic.