The US confirmed its pre-departure testing mandate would be removed on 12 June, which the US Travel Association described as a “huge step forward”.
Following the move, despite not seeing an instant uptick in bookings to the destination, the Advantage Travel Partnership reported a boost in enquiries for trips to the US.
Leisure director Kelly Cookes said the change in rules reassured customers who had already booked and were considering whether to go ahead as planned.
"We didn’t see the change in testing rules for the US lead to an immediate increase in bookings,” Cookes told TTG. "It did, however, lead to a surge in enquiries."
The consortium’s most popular US destination for the autumn and winter period is New York, while Florida tops the list for summer 2023.
However, Cookes warned prices have increased and some flight only fares are "considerably" higher, as well as lingering concerns regarding theme park capacity in Florida.
Last month, the pound sank to its lowest level against the dollar since March 2020. "It is noticeably more expensive over there as well," Cookes explained.
"I was in California over Easter and have a friend that has just come back from Vegas and the cost is definitely higher, which is comparable to the increased costs we are seeing here [in the UK] as well."
Despite Cookes describing the change in testing rules as "a positive step forward", she noted the US is yet to announce plans to allow unvaccinated travellers to enter.
Tricia Birmingham, trading director for Gold Medal, also reported an increase in enquiries for the US with the company seeing "double-digit growth" in call volumes for destinations such as Orlando, New York and Las Vegas.
"Many are now seizing the opportunity to book twin centres or have the independence of touring the states with car hire on the increase," she added.
"Despite a surge in last-minute departures, however, the largest share of departures are for the third quarter of 2022. We’re confident with the ongoing support of offers from the airlines and suppliers we can further drive and support the demand for travel to the US."
Steve Norris, managing director for Flight Centre EMEA, said the recent changes come as "much needed" positive news for an industry "that has endured so much" in the last two years.
"With more freedom of movement enabled, we now have a greater ability to deliver that pent-up desire for international travel," he continued.
Flight Centre saw an "immediate impact" after the restrictions were lifted, with Florida, New York and fly-drive the top three in terms of search and requests, which has also been "robustly" reflected in bookings.
"We are confident this consumer optimism will signal a resurgence in other long-haul travel, with Australia and New Zealand firmly back on the radar with further pre-departure tests dropped this week, and enquiries picking up for Asia now that Japan and Sri Lanka are accessible again," Norris concluded.
