By Lindsay Walker
Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

With Arizona’s neighbors in California loosening the last of their COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday, Arizona residents have more post-pandemic travel options than ever.

And it seems people are itching to leave the comfort of their homes after a long year, with Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix seeing more travelers come through.

Arizona’s largest airport counted 3,170,014 total passengers in April 2021, an astronomical increase from the 282,243 total passengers seen in April 2020 as the pandemic took hold of the state. While lower than the 3,998,587 people counted in April 2019, it seems travel is on its way back.

“Traveler sentiment studies show that there is pent-up demand for leisure travel,” said Megan Trummel, spokeswoman for Visit Phoenix. “Visitors are ready and excited to get back to traveling. Visit Phoenix is also preparing to welcome visitors back into the destination in the fall and spring seasons as we celebrate a return to events and cool weather.”

But as airplanes fill up and traffic returns to once-empty roads, a few pandemic rules remain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all Americans pause travel plans until they are fully vaccinated, which is two weeks after the second vaccine dose. People who are fully vaccinated can travel safely within the U.S. While face coverings are no longer required for the vaccinated, they are still mandatory for everyone on all forms of public transit.

Those who have not been vaccinated are being asked to get tested for the virus before and after travel, keep wearing masks and maintain their distance if they can’t postpone their travel plans. The CDC says international travel should be limited to those who are fully vaccinated.

Travelers also are encouraged to read up on a state or country’s safety protocols before they arrive. California, for example, is following CDC guidelines regarding vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.

Pandemic safety also will be in place at Sky Harbor, according to spokesman Greg Roybal.

“At the onset of the pandemic, we initiated a very robust sanitation schedule that we continue to maintain,” he said. “We also added UV-C LED sanitizing lights to high-traffic escalators in Terminals 3 and 4, installed Plexiglas barriers at counters, and updated the air filtration system. Travelers can expect to see these efforts continue.”

While crowds are definitely growing at the airport, it’s too soon to tell what international travel will look like in the coming months as countries begin to open their borders to vaccinated Americans. Many direct international flights to and from Phoenix have yet to restart, but domestic travel is picking up.

“Summer has historically been among our busiest months of the year, so we are preparing for travelers to continue to return to flying,” said Roybal.

Those sentiments were echoed by Joshua Coddington, spokesman for the Arizona Office of Tourism.

“I can tell you that this summer is going to be as busy as ever,” said Coddington. “Just look at Memorial Day, which is the traditional kick-off to the summer travel and staycation season. During 2021 Memorial Day weekend, car travel to and within Arizona surpassed not only 2020 volume, but also 2019 volume as well. This is great news given that 2019 was an all-time record year for tourism in Arizona.”

Coddington also said Phoenicians itching to explore need to look no further than their own backyard, suggesting a staycation in town or a trip up north to cooler temperatures.

“Arizona offers world-class, full-service resorts and hotels, which all offer great deals to encourage visitors during the summer,” he said. “You can often find room discounts, food and beverage credits and deals on spa treatments and golf outings, just to name a few. And especially right now, there’s a ton of great deals to be had.”

With tourism making a slow-but-steady comeback, the first priority for the hard-hit Arizona hospitality industry is hiring staff to fill its many resorts.

“As one of the hardest-hit during the pandemic, Arizona’s tourism and hospitality industry continues to work toward recovery, with rehiring workers being a top priority,” said Coddington. ”It’s clear that strong demand has returned for Arizona vacations. Currently, many of our hotels and resorts aren’t able to fill to capacity because of staffing challenges."

The Office of Tourism is holding a virtual hiring event on June 23 for job seekers to learn more about employment opportunities at Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Xanterra and the Salt River Indian Community’s Talking Stick Entertainment District so the state will be ready for an influx of visitors come fall.