I am so thankful the United States opened up to vaccinated travelers. I cannot understand the delay, but it is time to look forward rather than reflect on the past. Twenty months of restrictions is a long time to hold back friends and family, business travelers and developers who help make this country the greatest it can be.
I am excited as we return to The Peninsula Beverly Hills on Dec. 14 to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the GT Tested Reader Survey awards. We last held the in-person gala in December 2019, not imagining what would happen in March 2020 and through the entire year and most of this year.
Travel is back strong, though, and having traveled a lot domestically through this time, I now look forward to more trips internationally. The speedy development of vaccines has proved our road to recovery — the way out and essential for continued growth. Airlines are banking on a boom with overseas travelers able to come into the United States; we do not operate on a one-way basis, so this change should result in more flights and opportunities.
I want to thank all the winners of the GT Tested awards and particularly those who won for multiple years and those who entered the Quint (five years), Hall of Fame (10 years) and Crystal (15 years) levels. Some of our honorees — Asiana Airlines, United MileagePlus and Chicago O’Hare International Airport — won for an unprecedented 18 years. Congratulations to all the winners. Remember, this month marks the opening of 2022 awards voting!
As the year closes, I find myself traveling domestically as our business returns to normal.
November and December saw trips to our offices in Sarasota, to Orlando for the return of the GBTA convention and a trip to see the fine people at Visit Savannah.
Our Globility subscriber board members continue to take great international trips. Mike Russo keeps me posted on the improvements made to onboard cuisine during his KLM and Delta flights to Europe, and Eric Chiang made several trips, including a recent flight to Dubai to experience Emirates’ first-class service and take in the Dubai Expo.
Keep flying — it is only going to get easier and more exciting. Again, congratulations to all the GT Tested award winners!
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