Non-US travellers will be required to show proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 as part of the new rules. They will also have to provide evidence of having testing negative for Covid-19 up to 72 hours prior to departure.
Unvaccinated arrivals will likely be subject to additional testing requirements, the White House has intimated.
White House Covid coordinator Jeffrey Zients confirmed early details of the US’s travel plan to national press outlets in the US on Monday afternoon (20 September).
Boris Johnson tweeted: "It’s a fantastic boost for business and trade, and great that family and friends on both sides of the pond can be reunited once again."
The move will bring to an end what will by November be a 20-month ban on most travel to the US for non-US citizens. The ban was originally introduced by the Trump administration on 17 March 2020 in the early stages of the Covid crisis.
Prime minister Boris Johnson travelled to the US on Monday to discuss international travel arrangements with US president Joe Biden.
An Abta spokesperson said: “The news that double vaccinated travellers will be allowed to travel to the US from the UK from November is great news for holidaymakers, business travellers and those who have been separated from friends and family for so long.
"The USA is by far our most popular long-haul destination and in a normal year attracts almost five million visitors from the UK.
"The announcement will come in time to allow people to, among other things, take the ever popular Christmas shopping trips to New York and is a very welcome boost for the winter sports market whose customers love the country’s high quality ski resorts.”
The World Travel and Tourism Council said the readmission of UK visitors to the US was a vital move.
Julia Simpson, WTTC president and chief executive, said: “The UK alone represents 8% of all inbound travel to the US, accounting for $40 million per day to the nation’s economy.
“WTTC has long-been calling for the US to reopen and our research shows that by opening its borders to key markets such as the UK, it will pump $198 million back into the US economy every single day.”
Proof of how much the US ban has affected the UK travel industry is underlined by stats from Cirium.
They show that from 1 January to 19 September this year, the major airlines flew 8,380 one-way flights across the Atlantic, a 76% drop on the same period in 2019, which saw more than 35,000.
Tom Jenkins, Etoa chief executive, said the effect on inbound tourism meant "this capacity is urgently needed".
"Over the last two years, In the UK alone, there is a £60 billion hole from no inbound tourism. It will take years to repair the damage."
He added: "It is a very fragile dawn. Infection rates are volatile, and so are governments’ reactions to them. It is heartening that Boris Johnson cares about the needs of British travellers. But, in this environment, attention should now paid to a devastated export industry."
The travel ban led to the demise of Norwegian’s long-haul arm and led Virgin Atlantic to go running to banks to seek refinancing. It also saw BA permanently axe two US routes, including Charleston.
The ban also meant the long-awaited debut of JetBlue’s transatlantic services was more low key, with the New York carrier launching Heathrow-JFK in August and immediately paring back its schedule.
JetBlue’s Gatwick launch, on 29 September will also be scaled back, with four flights a week, but the announcement from Washington is timely for the carrier.
The reopening will also boost new airline Norse Atlantic Airways, which had gambled on a relaxation of restrictions by early 2022, when Norse will use some of Norwegian’s former fleet to start US flights from Gatwick.
Before the announcement, tour operators had reported pent-up demand for the US, but mostly for 2022 and beyond, so the news will only add fuel to demand for next year. In the near term, the relatively small market for winter sports in the US will receive a boost, as will Caribbean cruise departures from Miami.
The news is a massive boost for Florida as a whole.
“We are thrilled by the news about our borders reopening to the UK - our top international overseas market,” said Casandra Matej, Visit Orlando president and chief executive.
“Knowing there is a huge pent-up demand for Orlando holidays, we are ready to safely welcome back international visitors to experience the exciting new developments that have continued taking place in the theme park capital of the world.”
