‘Open for tourism again’: Canada eyes recovery as COVID-19 border measures loosen
Global News
The federal government’s decision to scrap the COVID-19 testing requirement for fully vaccinated travellers is being widely welcomed by the travel and tourism industry.
With Canada further easing COVID-19 restrictions at its borders, travel experts are seeing a surge in demand for international trips, but summer bookings for Europe are modest amid concerns about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Starting April 1, fully vaccinated travellers will not be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test upon entering Canada. The federal government had already eliminated the pre-arrival PCR test requirement last month, allowing travellers to show a rapid antigen test instead.
Beginning next month, neither will be needed for vaccinated travellers entering the country. However, they might still have to undergo random testing upon arrival, but won’t have to quarantine while awaiting their results, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced on Thursday.
“It’s a really positive step,” said Richard Vanderlubbe, president of Tripcentral.ca.
Other than the added cost and hassle of taking a test before boarding a plane, travellers don’t have to worry about being stranded in a foreign country and extending their stay if they test positive for COVID-19 while abroad, Vanderlubbe said.
“It’s a big blocker for travel demand that’s gone now and we’ve seen continuing rise in bookings and inquiries since then,” Vanderlubbe told Global News.
Even before the PCR test rule was scrapped late last month, travel in and out of the country was on an upward trend.
In February, more than 169,000 international visitors arrived from abroad at Canadian airports, representing an over 12-fold increase compared to the same time last year, according to Statistics Canada.
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