Hotels, airports and airlines across Mexico and the Caribbean are rushing to set up Covid-19 testing sites to meet new US entry rules and salvage demand for the pandemic-hit travel industry.
“In an environment for hotels where demand is down dramatically, anything they can do to make travel feel safer is a win in their eyes,” said Michael Bellisario, an analyst at Robert W Baird. “There’s a lot of uncertainty and anything to expedite the process and make travelling simpler and safer is helpful for all parties.”
Among hotels, testing sites are most prominent at luxury resorts, where wealthier travellers can secure results ahead of their departure without having to leave the premises. Marriott’s locations with on-property testing include the Ritz-Carlton Cancun, the JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa and the Dominican Republic’s Westin Puntacana Resort & Club, according to a spokesperson.
Volaris, Mexico’s biggest airline, set up a testing site at the Marriott hotel inside the Mexico City airport. Controladora Vuela Cia de Aviacion, as the low-cost airline is officially known, has managed to bounce back to pre-pandemic traffic yet has seen its shares fall 12% in 2021 as the new US rules were announced.