Travel industry wants restrictions lifted to encourage Canadians to book trips
Canadian airports are operating at only 40 per cent capacity for domestic flights and only 20 per cent for international trips compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) feels many Canadians won’t book a flight until there is a national vaccine passport and more travel restrictions are lifted.
“The sooner this gets done, the sooner it will help the industry recover," said ACTA board member Richard Vanderlubbe, who is also President of Tripcentral.ca.
The federal government is working on a national vaccine passport, but currently passengers have to rely on their provincial vaccine documents.
Vanderlubbe said many people don't feel confident enough to book a trip, especially to an international destination with provincial documents and the travel industry fears another difficult year ahead.
“We are just not certain that a foreign country is going to recognize our provincial proof of vaccination," said Vanderlubbe.
Vanderlubbe said many travel companies have had to continue working throughout the pandemic dealing with cancellations, rebooking trips and issuing refunds, while at the same time receiving hardly any new business and almost zero revenue.
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) represents more than 100 airports across Canada and agreed that one national internationally recognized vaccine passport would be easier for passengers, airlines and airports.
“What we have now is a patchwork of rules from province to province," said CAC President Daniel-Robert Gooch.
Gooch added “we would like to see digital proof of vaccinations that is nationally accepted standard around the country, but also aligned with what others countries are doing because people need consistency."
Now is a time when many Canadians start planning their winter holidays to sunny destinations, but travel agencies are concerned if there is confusion over passports, vaccines and testing people will just stay home.
ACTA is also calling on the federal government to update travel advisories and either remove or update the terms “avoid non-essential travel” and “avoid all cruise ship travel” on the federal government’s website.
“We have issues with the fact that it's a blanket (statement) it has no end and essential travel and non-essential travel were never clearly defined," said Vanderlubbe.
About 4 million Canadians also received mixed doses of vaccines and the travel industry says until there is clarity about their vaccination status many won't feel confident to book a trip fearing they could be turned back while travelling.
ACTA also said that testing for the coronavirus during the travel process can be onerous, confusing and expensive.
It says there needs to be a more uniform approach so people can feel confident their test results will be accepted if they book a trip.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.