A recently-formed Canadian tourism group is urging more open borders for intra-Canada and international travel. Meanwhile, MGM Resorts is opening more properties in Las Vegas. Monterey, California and Disneyland also are re-opening, as Air Transat will resume flights July 23. That and more in today’s Future of Travel post.
CANADA TOURISM ROUNDTABLE WANTS MORE OPEN BORDERS
The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable* says Canada needs to get rid of its quarantine requirement for all international visitors and take more of a country-by-country approach. It also weants open provincial borders to save Canadian tourism for the summer. Here’s an open letter to governments across Canada that it issued today.
As a society, we have faced a threat like no other, COVID-19. And we are still dealing with it.
Under the leadership of our governments, we agreed to implement tough decisions to protect our health and safety. We shut down our schools, our businesses, and our borders. We all made sacrifices and continue to adapt to this new reality.
Now, it seems, we are getting through the worst of it. As we re-open, we are learning to live with the virus, not hide from it or from each other. And, just like we are re-opening the front doors of our homes and businesses, we need to re-open the doors of our provinces, territories – and our country.
The Canadian travel, tourism and hospitality sector employs 1.8 million people and contributes $102 billion to our economy. It relies on the summer season to survive. As Canadians, we wait all year to travel during the summer. We need the summer.
Like you, we believe personal safety is critical. However, many of the travel restrictions currently in place are simply too broad or unnecessary. Limitations on inter-provincial travel that restrict Canadians from freely exploring our country, should be removed. Canadians should be free to travel across Canada.
We also need a more targeted approach to international travel. The mandatory 14-day quarantine and complete closure of our country to all visitors from abroad is no longer necessary and is out of step with other countries across the globe.
Not all countries and regions are risky, and we shouldn’t treat them as such. For international visitors, it’s time to mirror the measured and safe approaches taken in other countries – like Germany, France, Italy and Australia, among many that have started to re-open borders to safe countries.
Heightened hygiene and bio-safety measures are being adopted across travel and tourism in Canada to allow for safe travel, with confidence. It’s time to encourage Canadians and some visitors from abroad to explore our country this summer, to begin reuniting friends and families, to allow important business travel to occur, and to get our employees working safely again.
It’s time our governments allow Canadians to travel freely.
*The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable is made up of a number of groups, including the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies, The Hotel Association of Canada, Tourism Toronto, Tourisme Montreal, and many others.
ARUBA RE-OPENING JULY 1
The Government of Aruba today announced the country will officially reopen its borders and once again welcome inbound travel for visitors, from Bonaire and Curaçao on June 15, the Caribbean(with the exception of Dominican Republic and Haiti), Europe, and Canada on July 1, 2020, followed by visitors from the United States beginning July 10, 2020.
Notice that they’re letting Canadians in before Americans? Take that, Donald Trump.
CANADA PROVIDES HELP FOR INDIGENOUS TOURISM
The Indigenous tourism sector is particularly vulnerable to the economic effects of COVID-19. To bolster this industry, the government of Canada today said it is announcing a new stimulus development fund that will provide $16 million to support the Indigenous tourism industry. The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada will administer the fund to businesses across the country that have lost revenue due to COVID-19.
TAMPA BAY FLORIDA RE-OPENS
The Tampa Riverwalk.
With summer now officially here, Tampa Bay’s attractions are safely and responsibly reopening following guidelines set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Florida Department of Public Health.
As the home of Florida’s Most open-air adventures, Tampa Bay hosts some of the State’s best attractions from the spine-tingling rollercoasters at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay to the amazing animal encounters at ZooTampa at Lowry Park and The Florida Aquarium. Tampa Bay is full of wide-open possibilities with a stunning Tampa Riverwalk in the heart of downtown, inspiring arts and culture exhibits at the Tampa Museum of Art and outdoor parks that make Tampa Bay a year-round destination.
As the destination reopens and steps back into the sunshine, travelers can explore Tampa Bay’s natural wonders along Hillsborough River with Urban Kai Stand Up Paddleboarding, a self-guided tour at Canoe Escape or take a deep cleansing breath and spend some quality time with any of our 750+ partners.
Al fresco dining has always been a staple in Tampa Bay restaurants like Ulele (a personal fave), Armature Works, Sparkman Wharf and American Social. Now the city has expanded patio dining into some of Tampa Bay’s most iconic neighborhoods including the heart of downtown Tampa and the upscale Hyde Park Village. The effort has since been nationally recognized with Tampa Bay being seen as a pioneer in this initiative.
Retail stores are also safely opening with revised capacities and curbside pickup options, including International Plaza and Bay Street, Tampa Premium Outlets, Hyde Park Village and Westshore Plaza.
MGM EXPANDS VEGAS OFFERINGS
MGM Resorts opened a few properties earlier this month, including the Bellagio and New York, New York. According to Yahoo Finance, they’ll be reopening Luxor and The Shoppes in Mandalay Bay Place on June 25 followed with the reopening of ARIA along with the Four Seasons Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay (which I love) on July 1. The company is also expecting to reopen Excalibur on Jun 11.
However, upon resuming businesses, these properties will operate with limited amenities. Notably, the company will implement a Seven-Point Safety Plan, which is a multi-layered set of protocols and procedures designed in compliance with medical and scientific expertise to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
I’ve seen photos of people in Vegas recently who were definitely not following safe practices, so let’s hope things improve on that front.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING: MONTEREY AND DISNEYLAND RE-OPENING
The Monterey Peninsula at sunset. Sheer magic.
I’ve taken the 17-mile drive along the Monterey Peninsula six or eight times in my life, and it never gets old.
Now comes word that Monterey County will re-open for tourism on Friday, June 12, which is wonderful news. Not only is the 17-mile drive amazing, but so is Pebble Beach, Point Lobos, downtown Monterey and the town of Pacific Grove, which is one of my fave small cities in California, where I grew up.
As each individual business prepares to ensure the highest safety protocols are in place, travellers are encouraged to check individual business websites for reservations and specific details of Monterey’s phase 3 re-opening.
Leisure travelers will be permitted to enjoy hotels, family entertainment centers, restaurants, wineries, bars, zoos, museums, racetracks, campgrounds and outdoor recreation. Please note that individual businesses will open on their own schedule.
Not all hotels and attractions, including great wineries, will be fully open, so check the Monterey County Tourism website for information.
Meanwhile, in southern California, Disneyland plans to re-open in a little more than a month. According to the Washington Post, Disney has announced plans to reopen its Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks July 17 — the same day the original park opened in 1955.
As it has done around the world, the company plans a phased ramp-up, with the Downtown Disney District shopping and dining complex starting to come online July 9 and some on-site hotels opening their doors July 23.
I’ve probably been 15 times and always love visiting Disneyland. Then again, I’m a child in an adult’s body.
CHINA OLYMPICS BOYCOTT?
The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was awesome. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Okay, this is only vaguely a travel story. But I covered both Toronto Olympic bids and the Vancouver 2010 bid for the Toronto Star, and I covered six Olympic Games in my career. And there are travel connotations.
According to today’s Globe and Mail, a former Canadian envoy to Hong Kong, John Higginbotham, is suggesting Canada boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics, which are slated for Beijing. Higginbotham said it would be a way for Canada to express its displeasure over the way China has revoked democratic rights in Hong Kong.
I am NOT a fan of the Chinese government. The people I’ve met are great, but the government is a totalitarian regime that doesn’t care a whit about human rights.
But I don’t like boycotts, especially for our hard-working Olympic athletes. Boycotts of the Los Angeles Games in 1984 and the Moscow Games in 1980 caused immense pain for athletes from Canada and around the world. I’d hate to see that again.
Still, Higginbotham is right on one count; Canada needs to find ways to stand up to the harmful dictatorship that is the Chinese government.
TRANSAT RESUMES FLYING JULY 23
Manchester is a great city to explore in England, with glorious architecture and cool neighborhoods. JIM BYERS PHOTO
It’s great to see Air Transat will start flying again July 23. The Montreal-based airline today said it will fly to 23 international destinations, including Athens, Manchester (quite under-rated in my book), Rome and Lisbon. It also will be flying domestically, using international airports in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.
Here’s the story I filed today for TravelPulse Canada.
