New testing requirements for most travellers coming into Canada will have a devastating effect on Canada’s tourism industry at a time when they’re just starting to recover from the pandemic, critics charge. “This is indeed another blow as the Canadian tourism sector was slowly seeing more action,” said Frederic Dimanche, director of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University in Toronto. “This will of course lead to a significant decline in visitor arrivals. International visitors will not be willing to go through this.” The Trudeau government on Tuesday said anyone coming into Canada from a Read more

With cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 growing around the world, the Justin Trudeau government in Ottawa is slapping new travel restrictions on all travellers coming from countries other than the United States. The government today said anyone coming into Canada from a country other than the U.S. will have to be tested at  the airport and isolate until they get their results. That applies to travellers who are double vaccinated, said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos. “All air travelers coming from outside Canada, apart from the United States, will now need to be tested at the airport in which Read more

Will Canada bring in mandatory on-arrival testing for travellers? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to raise the possibility today in a brief scrum with reporters. Speaking prior to a Cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Trudeau said his government is watching the Omicron variant “very, very closely.” “We know that even though Canada has very strong border measures now — we need vaccinations to come to Canada, we need pre-departure tests, we need testing on arrival — there may be more we need to do and we’ll be looking at it very carefully,” Trudeau said. It wasn’t immediately clear if Trudeau was Read more

VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) marked a historic milestone today with the unveiling of the first trainset of its state-of-the-art new fleet that will serve the Québec City – Windsor corridor. With the new test train parked on the platform of the LEED certified Ottawa station behind them, VIA Rail President and Chief Executive Officer, Cynthia Garneau and Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Françoise Bertrand, introduced Canadians to the first of 32 new trains in VIA Rail’s new Corridor fleet  – a building block of VIA Rail’s modernization program which will help to create the VIA Rail of tomorrow. “This new fleet marks Read more

Expedia released its 2022 Travel Trends Report today, revealing new traveller priorities that are shaking up the status quo in 2022. As more countries begin to welcome travellers back and demand spikes 1 for international destinations such as Maui, Rome and Bali, Expedia’s research reveals around two-thirds 2 of Canadians (61%) are planning to go big on their next trips with a new “no regrets” style of travel, which Expedia has dubbed the “GOAT” (Greatest of All Trips) mindset.   Appreciating that each trip is a privilege, travellers are in pursuit of more transformative and fulfilling journeys, without holding back. Read more

As the Omicron variant spreads around the world, the travel rebound we were seeing just a few days ago is now looking like another setback. How big that setback will be could be determined in a few weeks, experts suggest. Meanwhile, here are some headlines you should be aware of as we head towards the first day of December. NEW TRAVEL RULES FOR CANADIANS START TODAY Starting today, unvaccinated travellers over the age of 12 won’t be allowed to board a plane or train in Canada. Also, a negative COVID-19 test will no longer serve as a substitute for most Read more