Travel Industry News & Views for Canadian Travel Agents
Effective 26NOV, all foreign nationals who have travelled through South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini or Mozambique in the last 14 days will be barred from entering Canada.
A Canadian rate comparison web site reports that travel quotes by Canadians have surged by 293 per cent since this time last year, but their preferred destinations have changed.
PCR border tests disincentivize international travellers to Quebec for local winter events and activities essential to the province’s economy, say tourism stakeholders.
According to the WTTC, U.S. travel is moving out of pandemic lows – and is expected to receive further year-over-year growth of 28.4 per cent in 2022.
The site will support an array of different COVID-19 tests, including some with same-day results available, and will be open for walk-ins as well as scheduled appointments.
“It is not the duration of the trip or the nationality of the passenger that is relevant,” say industry and Opposition critics, who are planning to challenge the new rule when the new parliament opens.
In addition, Jean-Yves Duclos said that the federal government does not currently intend to include COVID-19 booster shots within its vaccine mandate.
Today’s announcement did not confirm if or when PCR testing would be eliminated for Canadians taking longer trips, or for U.S. or international travellers.
Good news for family travel bookings this winter. 2.9m child-sized doses of the Pfizer vaccine are expected to arrive within days of Friday’s announcement.
Fully vaccinated Canadians on a short cross-border trip of less than 72 hours will soon no longer have to present a negative PCR test, according to sources.