A group of Canadian travel and tourism experts are asking the Trudeau government to avoid bringing back random tests at Canadian airports. They also want to see the lifting of all remaining COVID-19 travel restrictions. “Three weeks ago, to aid the flow of passengers at ‘Canada’s airports, the federal government announced a pause on Mandatory Random Testing through to June 30, 2022,” the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable said in a press release today. But that pause expires in only a few hours, and random testing will continue, albeit off-site. “Removing the entire testing process from airports will ease the Read more
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A new study finds Americans are more likely to travel outside the country given new testing rules announced last week. It also shows British travellers are more likely to visit the U.S., which is great for United States’ tourism and travel operators. The travel industry received some long-awaited news last week when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it was lifting its requirement for travelers to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the country. On the heels of this news MMGY Travel Intelligence, a trusted source for travel and tourism data, surveyed 774 Americans and 436 Britons Read more
Canadian Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault says it could take weeks for the federal government to ease congestion at the nation’s airports. Tempers have been boiling over for some time as Canadians revert to 2019 travel patterns, only to be faced with long lineups at security and customs and a shortage of staff in the tourism and travel industry. Speaking to CTV’s Question Period, Boissonnault said he’s not happy with reports of Canadians waiting hours to get through travel checkpoints, particularly at Toronto Pearson International Airport. “I’m going to be very blunt. I’m not happy with the situation. I don’t want Read more
Canadian travel and tourism experts says Ottawa needs to permanently remove arrival testing and other COVID-19 restrictions. The Trudeau government on Friday said it will temporarily suspend random COVID-19 testing of incoming international passengers at Canadian airports. Random testing at airports will be temporarily suspended at all airports starting on Saturday, June 11 until June 30, for those who are fully vaccinated. But the government said the rule changes are only for a few weeks, and that testing will continue after June 30, albeit off-site and not on airport property. Officials said they need to continue random testing so they Read more
A former Canadian airline executive says airport congestion problems could be with us for some time. Published reports today say that more than one in every 20 flights scheduled to depart from Toronto Pearson Airport were cancelled between June 1 and June 7 due to delays and flight backlogs. The Globe and Mail said Air Canada cancelled nearly 10% of its flights “amid staffing shortages and a surge in passengers at Canada’s busiest airport.” Airlines around the world have been grappling with major delays and problems as travel surges to pre-pandemic levels. U.S. airlines are facing a shortage of pilots. Read more
