Canada’s travel and tourism sector leaders are calling on the federal government to come up with a clear plan to reopen the country’s borders.
At a press conference on June 14, members of the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable advocated a comprehensive national plan to lift border restrictions.
The group also urges the government to put in place a clear vaccination certification program that would allow international travelers to enter the country.
“Clarity about what life will be like in the future is needed now more than ever,” said Beth Potter, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC).
“It is time to end the extreme financial crisis that flattened the tourism industry.”
Industry leaders noted that Canada makes lack of an official reopening plan a global outlier as European countries and the US announce the resumption of travel.
In the absence of a national plan, it was left to the provinces to fill in the gaps, resulting in 13 different conflicting policies.
“Canadians deserve a single, national guideline that clarifies vaccination certificates, international borders and other important details,” said Potter.
“The time for ‘soon’ is behind us. The time is now. “
While recent announcements, such as hotel quarantine exemption for fully vaccinated Canadians, are a “step in the right direction”, there is still a lack of clarity.
Susie Grynol, the President and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada, argued that all fully vaccinated travelers should be exempted from quarantine, noting that nationality “should have nothing to do with”.
Grynol warned the tourism sector cannot afford to lose a second straight summer as 75% of small and medium-sized businesses will be lost if the country does not reopen, she said.
Both Grynol and Daniel-Robert Gooch, President of the Canadian Airports Council, noted that their respective industries played key roles in the pandemic, from helping quarantine health care workers to assisting the arrival of vaccines.
“If there can be a plan for NHL teams, why can’t there be a plan for the rest of Canada?” Grynol asked, referring to them Quarantine exemption for teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The land border between Canada and the United States has been closed for all non-essential travel since March 2020.
The current closure ends on June 21st. No country has said whether the measures will expire next week – or whether they will be extended for another month – and leave both businesses and residents in the dark.
Travelers can still fly to Canada, but are subject to a strict 14-day quarantine upon arrival, the first few days of which must be spent in a specific hotel.
A COVID-19 Expert Advisory Board recommended last month that the federal government end hotel quarantine as the program involves “significant” costs and resources and that it is “burdensome” for travelers.
Federal officials announced last week that they would abolish the measure for fully vaccinated Canadians but have not given an exact date for the expiration date or how to prove they are vaccinated.
We urgently need a federal government plan so that Canadians and those who want to travel safely to Canada are not left behind. ” said Gooch.
“Other countries have done that. Our industry depends on it. The Canadians expect that. “
