As if dealing with COVID-19 and the Omicron variant weren’t enough, travelers are now facing problems lining up the tests they need to travel. Canadians who travel outside the country and want to return need to show negative results from a PCR-style COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of their scheduled departure. But there are reports of long lineups at testing sites in the U.S., which is frustrating travelers to no end. Fox13 News in Tampa said the demand for testing has risen quickly as new virus cases rise in the Tampa Bay Area. “Hillsborough County has seen more than Read more
Canada
The Ontario government this year will provide up to $200 in tax credits for provincial residents who spend money on Ontario travel. Here are 22 great places to check out in 2022. And here’s a link to my e-book, Ontario Escapes: 19 Great Places to Visit Right Now. It’s available from Apple Books for just $4.99 CAD.
It wasn’t too hard to predict what travel would be like in 2021. Judging the year ahead seems trickier to me. In mid-November, I was fairly confident that 2022 would be pretty darn good for travel and tourism. Maybe not everywhere, but probably in North America, Europe and the Caribbean. Hotels were re-opening in Toronto and other cities, airlines were announcing new routes, and tourism boards were actually travelling to other destinations to promote their brand. But then Omicron appeared out of nowhere, and a feeling of “here we go again” dread came over many of us in the travel Read more
Cold weather is wreaking havoc again for Canadian air passengers today. WestJet issued a statement this afternoon to say they’ve had to consolidate roughly 15% of their flights through the end of January. According to statistics from flightaware.com, which tracks flights around the world, there have been early 200 flights cancelled today involving just five Canadian airports. Toronto Pearson, by far the largest airport in Canada, was listed as having 53 cancellations, while Vancouver was at 51 and Calgary close behind at 48. There were 28 flights cancelled in Montreal as of noon Eastern Time today, while 14 were listed Read more
The Trudeau government has no plans to follow the U.S. by reducing COVID-19 quarantine times to five days, CTV News reports today. “The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) told CTVNews.ca in a statement on Wednesday that officials are aware of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) updated guidance and the body will inform Canadians should there be similar steps taken north of the border. “While isolation and quarantine rules may vary across the country based on the directives of local public health experts, federal authorities recommend an isolation period of a minimum of 10 days from the Read more
