The Trudeau government is still considering a ban on non-essential travel to Canada by foreign nationals, the Toronto Star is reporting. A proposal to shut Canada’s borders to non-essential travellers was one of four options the Trudeau cabinet considered Tuesday as it grappled with the growth of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, reporter Tonda MacCharles said. The idea met with opposition from some Cabinet members and from some provincial premiers. But a source told the Star it’s still under consideration. Trudeau mentioned the idea in his Tuesday Cabinet meeting, and then posed that and other possible moves in his Tuesday night Read more

A survey of global travel stakeholders by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) finds that eight in ten respondents are concerned or very concerned about the revenue impact the Omicron variant will have on companies in the business travel sector, while just over one-third say their bookings have decreased. Earlier this month, the GBTA,  the world’s largest business travel association, surveyed its membership of global travel buyers, suppliers, and other industry stakeholders to gauge current sentiment around the COVID-19 omicron variant and any early effects on the business travel industry. Here are some of the highlights from the recent GBTA Read more

So much for last-minute Christmas shopping in the States this year. The Trudeau government today said it’s reintroducing the requirement for a pre-arrival negative PCR-style COVID-19 test for all travellers coming into Canada, even if they’re Canadians who’ve only been gone a short while. The new policy comes into place next Tuesday, December 21. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos made the announcement against the backdrop of rising Omicron-variant numbers across the country. He also said Canada is ending its much-criticized ban against travel to and from several African countries. When he unveiled the Canadian government’s new travel advisory on Wednesday, Duclos Read more

Powerful travel and tourism groups are welcoming passage of a Canadian government bill to aid the industry. The Canadian Parliament and Justin Trudeau government on Thursday passed Bill C-2, which provides further support to the industry in response to the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. The Coalition of the Hardest Hit Businesses said welcomes the passing of the bill for an industry that has been hit hard by border closures, travel bans, and the loss of international and domestic travellers. A survey of Coalition members earlier in the year found that up to 60% did not expect to make it through the Read more

The Caribbean has been performing very strongly late in 2021 and is poised for a great year in 2022, Caribbean tourism officials and other experts say. Speaking at a Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association virtual meeting this week, Nicola Madden-Greig, president of the CHTA, said things have improved drastically in the region since the height of the pandemic. “We are recovering, and we are recovering well,” she said. Madden-Greig said tourism levels late this year are roughly 70% of what they were in 2019, which was a phenomenal year for Caribbean tourism. She also noted that testing of travellers in Read more

The travel advisory issued by the Canadian government on Wednesday is already sparking changes by some travel insurance companies. Travel agents and expert say it’s definitely a case of buyer beware. Allianz Global Assistance Canada sent me an email to say that the situation changed once the government of Canada issued its advisory for Canadians to avoid non-essential international travel. “While coverage varies by channel and product, generally speaking, policyholders with Emergency Medical benefits who contract COVID-19 at their destination would not be eligible for emergency medical treatment if a Government of Canada travel advisory (against non-essential travel, level 3 Read more