To be honest I haven’t been seeing overseas guests since March last year really due to our lockdown restrictions. @ georgygirlofairbnb
It’s been fairly standard for many countries to require a negative Covid test to allow people to travel.
I had assumed actually that with your high levels of Covid the US would have been doing this since the test became available so pretty shocked to see it is only just being introduced…but happy for you that you know have this measure in place.
To be honest, given the way many folks in the US behave, I’m not sure that many hosts would welcome guests from the US (or the UK) just now.
JF
The VR owners and resorts in
Costa Rica and Mexico and and Jamaica etc were all very anxious to be able to welcome travelers back in from the US.
Let’s not over generalize that the whole world is acting the same, or that every person from the USA is against masks.
I am in the travel industry so I am overly familiar with all the restrictions and nuances of travel demands from each country as they open and shut and change requirements.
This decisiion will further decimate the travel industry and the income of many STR owners around the world.
Whether I agree, or not, is not relevant. It is just how it is now. There will be tons of cancellations from guests planning to go the areas that were welcoming travelers.
I’d be more likely to travel with this requirement because I’d feel safer.
Yes it has. We introduced it here in Spain on 23rd November last year. In addition, you need to be either a Spanish citizen or someone with verifiable resident status to enter the country.
JF
I understand. But many travelers will not risk having to remain out of the country if the test shows Covid. Both due to the expense, the quarantine, and the possible additional time away from work. I believe it will slow down travel leaving the country, due to fear of returning easily.
It may. I see your point. But it does seem that there will be some offset.
To be honest we haven’t seen that affect at all in Europe. People just factor having the test which you can do at home into their travel planning.
What is decimating the travel industry is that various countries including yours and mine have handled Covid appallingly meaning our countries are in many areas unsafe to travel to.
Bit of levity 
Apparently the cost, via people traffickers, of travelling to Morocco FROM Spain has tripled over the past three weeks.
Says it all how our central government have performed recently.
We’re just grateful Spain is made up of Autonomous Communities, and that our Junta is doing everything within their powers to reduce the infection rate in AndalucĂa.
JF
Pre-pandemic, nearly 50% of my guests were American. The border has been closed since March. We are in lockdown now again, but when I was allowed to host, between June and December, my calendar filled up with locals.
It’s a remote listing, so that won’t be everyone’s experience, but I wonder whether we in non-US places won’t miss Americans as much as we thought.
Don’t get me wrong: I like them just fine. (Mostly merely because they are not locals. Gah. That’s a whole other post.) But I didn’t miss out on income with the border closed, which I was sure would be the case.
Well, I can tell you what I have seen here in my Mexican town, which is highly reliant on tourism. The place is full of American tourists, who are packing into bars and restaurants and the vast majority aren’t wearing masks or distancing at all. They act like they think vacationing in Mexico is some COVID-free zone. When in fact Mexico has one of the highest infection rates in the world, the highest death rate, and hospitals are overwhelmed.
It looks to me like the people who think it’s fine to travel as tourists during a pandemic are the exact same people who think COVID is no big deal and are the consciousless spreaders.
Couldn’t agree more. @Muddy…what complete idiots, not only putting their own lives at risk, but that of their family and friends, and the poor low paid hospitality and tourism workers who have no choice but to be around them.
You know how most people have had dreams where they find themselves stark naked in public? Well, I’ve had a couple of dreams in the past few weeks where I find myself in a large crowd of people and suddenly realize that no one is wearing masks.
It leaves me with the same feeling in the dream like those naked in public dreams do- a slight panic and wondering how I managed to get myself in that situation.
I wonder if anyone else has had those dreams about masks.
I don’t want guests that would take that risk? NO ONE SHOULD BE TRAVELING RIGHT NOW.
You don’t seem to understand how serious this pandemic is. IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU.
Or to rent AirBnB rooms during a pandemic. WTF? Same kind of superspreader unconsciousness.
We’re open; but then again, our apartments are totally self contained.
Anyone renting shared space must either need the money so bad they don’t care, or are as we say en España, they are especial.
JF
There are plenty of justifiable reasons to be renting rooms in the pandemic, even certain kinds of leisure travel.
Your arrogance and decision to attack me is disgusting. How do you know how I feel about this? I was sharing information. There is no place at all that I advocated travel. I did say that not every from the USA behaved the same. I am staunchly in favor of masks and avoiding crowds. I have a 74 year old husband with underlying health conditions. It is all about me when others disregard my need for distancing. I couldn’t even be my newborn grandchild for 6 weeks to protect her. Next time don’t jump to wrong assumptions. I do everything I can to avoid conflict and voicing political opinions in order to stay away from online problems.
I think he read too fast and judged too quickly. People are really angry about the pandemic and looking for places to put blame. Hopefully he will re-read and re-consider.