THE United States could be set to lift its Ireland travel ban in the next few weeks in a huge boost to would-be holidaymakers.
Travel to America from Ireland is currently restricted, as it has been since March 2020 when the pandemic broke out.
Areas such as the UK, mainland Europe, China, India and Brazil are also on the 'ban list', with no indication as to when they might be taken off it.
However, Editor of Air and Travel magazine Eoghan Corry claims a timeline for the reopening of US borders to banned nations is currently being worked out.
While Mr Corry said no one is clear on when travel to the States will return, he said we are seeing "very strong indications from America that the ban on Irish people going to America will be lifted on Labor Day".
The holiday falls on September 6, which means the restrictions on Irish tourists could be lifted in just over a fortnight.
"We need a few things to go right for that to happen because it did look as if it was going to be lifted in July and it did get put back," Mr Corry told the Irish Mirror.
"But the latest date, the important date, is September 6. Another important date is October 11 when Aer Lingus' San Francisco service is due to resume.
"Aer Lingus cut back to Chicago, Boston and New York through the crisis and then they resumed Washington on August 13, so the next one to resume is San Francisco.
"It's nothing like we had before, it's creep, creep, creep in that direction, and the big decision will be the Americans letting people in who are just Irish passport holders and don't have Green Cards or whatever."
Currently, only citizens and permanent residents of the US, as well as certain designated family members, and other people who meet specified exceptions are allowed to enter the States.
