Two-thirds of British Columbians say they plan to travel internationally this year or next. And that’s good news for the travel and airline industry in Canada. With high vaccination rates, easing of travel restrictions, and changes to cross-border COVID-19 testing requirements, a new British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) Travel Confidence Survey reveals high travel confidence and a change in travelers’ worries when it comes to international travel. The survey, conducted for BCAA by Léger just as travel restrictions were lifted, found that 84% of British Columbians are concerned about getting stuck due to rules changing or testing positive and having Read more
international travel
Canadians are now getting slapped with restrictions on domestic travel. Newfoundland and Labrador says that, starting at 3 p.m. tomorrow, all incoming travellers need to self-isolate for five days upon arrival. They also must take a rapid COVID-19 test every day for five days. If all results are negative, they can be let out of isolation. Unvaccinated children will have to self-isolate for five days, and produce a rapid test each day, according to the CBC. As well, almost everyone aged 12 or older entering Newfoundland and Labrador must submit a travel form within 30 days of their expected travel Read more
More than a week after the Canadian government announced increased testing at Canadian airports, they’re only halfway to the final target. Worried about the discovery of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the federal government on November 30 announced that all passengers arriving at Canadian airports from destinations other than Canada and the U.S. would need to be tested. Exactly how testing would work was unclear, and it’s been slow to roll out. Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos on Friday conceded that Canada’s airport testing, which is the responsibility of the federal government, is nowhere near its final target. Duclos said Read more
Now, this is impressive. A new report from Visit Florida shows that Sunshine State tourism numbers in the third quarter of this year surpassed those from the same period in 2019, prior to the pandemic. The Daytona Times and News Service of Florida report that the estimated total of 32.517 million tourists between July 1 and Sept. 30 bested 2019 figures by just over 0.3 per cent. That’s nothing short of remarkable, and one of the strongest signs yet that travel and tourism are bouncing back. Tourism officials said most of the visitors were domestic, as the U.S. border was Read more
Days after the U.S. reopened its land and air borders to vaccinated international visitors, including Canadians coming over the land border, the U.S. Travel Association released a study that shows that domestic leisure travel has returned to near pre-pandemic levels. But they’re forecasting an uneven recovery for the international inbound and business travel segments. The forecast, based on analysis from Tourism Economics, projects that domestic leisure travel will continue to drive the U.S. travel industry’s recovery in the near term. This segment is projected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and beyond. U.S. domestic business travel spending is expected to reach Read more