Skift Take

The U.S. has made a lot of progress at removing barriers to travel. The best thing the new president can do is to keep knocking them down.

Lex Haris

Will the time it takes to get a visa to travel to the U.S. continue to come down? How will a new administration evaluate potential deals? More travel bans coming? 

The race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is essentially tied heading into election day and we don’t know when a winner will be called. But there will be a new president next January and a wide range of implications for the travel industry. 

And even before that point, no matter who wins, you can expect a short-term travel slowdown in the weeks around the election. Marriott noted that’s always the case, but that it’s much more pronounced this cycle – the adverse impact on revenue per available room is about double what it has been in past election cycles. Delta, United and JetBlue have said they expect travel to slow down around Election Day, in line with historic trends. 

As for the long-term, both candidates have a record to guide us in thinking through the potential impact. Of course, Harris would have her own set of priorities as president that could differ from those of the past four years. 

Visas and International Visitors

Travel company CEOs have kept mostly quiet about politics this season. But they’re clear about one thing: They want travelers to keep coming to the U.S. and to make it as seamless as possible. “There’s so much opportunity,”