The U.S. Travel Association sent a letter to President Joe Biden last week urging the reopening of international travel to “avoid dire economic consequences,” according to Travel Pulse.

Composed of 23 global travel companies, the group asked for a public-private task force by the end of May to develop a data-driven roadmap to open U.S. borders and welcome international tourism again.

“While U.S. borders remain closed to much of the world, the remarkable scientific advancements to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and the tremendous vaccine deployment achieved by your administration have allowed the safe resumption of many activities,” the letter reads. “For all its economic and cultural contributions, international travel should be among them and it will hasten the economic recovery we all desire.”

The letter also asks the White House for a “public health corridor” between the U.S. and the U.K., as well as for the administration to seek commitments from other world leaders on developing a global framework for reopening international travel at the upcoming G7 summit.

More than 37 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more, which is a 60 percent increase from last year’s record low, according to a AAA Memorial Day travel forecast. The increase in travel still represents 6 million fewer travels than pre-pandemic levels.

“As more people get the COVID-19 vaccine and consumer confidence grows, Americans are demonstrating a strong desire to travel this Memorial Day,” said senior vice president of AAA Travel Paul Twidale said. “This pent-up demand will result in a significant increase in Memorial Day travel, which is a strong indicator for summer, though we must all remember to continue taking important safety precautions.”

The expected travel increase will mostly take place by car, as nine in ten Memorial Day travelers will drive to their destinations.

Given that digital adoption in the US has accelerated by six years due to the pandemic, using influencers will be one of the most prominent online tactics for creating awareness and shaping the perception of your destination’s brand. But DMOs shouldn’t worry about dealing with a stereotypical primadonna looking for freebies, not when they understand the influencer landscape and have a structured program that results in success for both parties.

In this webinar Bull Moose Marketing’s VP of Client Strategies (and former Carnival Cruise brand ambassador) Ron Mattocks will be talking with niche travel blogger Hannah Brenner from HannahRoseWild.com to explore how DMOs can effectively add influencers to their heritage and cultural tourism marketing efforts, and dive into what DMOs should know from the influencer’s perspective before starting a campaign together.

Other takeaways from this webinar include:

• Justifying the case for using influencers
• An understanding of the influencer landscape
• Selecting the right influencer for your destination
• Tips for structuring a win-win influencer program
• Identifying metrics for gauging a successful campaign
• Considerations from the influencer’s perspective

Reserve your spot for this live webinar to learn about how working with influencers can create interest in your destination with new audiences.

Georgia’s tourism industry expects to bounce back this summer with the vaccination rollout, according to the state’s Albany Herald. The pandemic took a toll on the tourism industry, especially impacting the state’s capital of Atlanta, whose hotels depend heavily on conventions. A recent uptick in travel has gained back 144,000 of 223,000 leisure and hospitality jobs lost to the pandemic.

With leisure travel on the rise, according to president of Visit Savannah Joe Marinelli, state tourism is expanding its marketing efforts to bordering states and cities like New York, Miami and Chicago.

“We’re picking back up,” said deputy commissioner at the Georgia Department of Economic Development Mark Jaronski. With a grant of $1 million at its disposal, the state tourism division hopes to continue funding tourism as the industry recovers.