With the economic slowdown, the number of international tourists entering the country from Canada has surged Coronavirus disease Measures were taken earlier this year and the border was reopened to individuals who have been vaccinated.
New data released by Statistics Canada on Friday In October, 263,400 non-residents arrived at Canadian airports, an increase of more than 14 times compared with the same period last year.
Of the foreigners who flew to Canada last month, 114,200 were from the United States and 149,200 were from other countries.
From August 9th, Canada has relaxed travel restrictions imposed since March 2020, allowing fully vaccinated Americans to enter the country for non-essential purposes without having to quarantine on arrival.
On September 7, the border was further opened, allowing foreign travelers from all over the world to enter.
Under the new measures, Anyone entering the country must be vaccinated with a vaccine approved by Health Canada and show proof of a negative PCR test performed no more than 72 hours before the scheduled flight departure.
This development is not surprising, because “Huge safeguards are in place” and the national vaccination rate—— Nearly 75%, Said Martin Firestone, a travel insurance broker in Toronto.
“Frankly, I think it shows the confidence to travel. You come to a very safe country with a higher vaccination level than most countries in the world,” he told Global News.
He added: “For some people, the people on the plane next to them want to be vaccinated, which makes them feel at ease.”
Firestone said that allowing more Canadian airports (currently 10) to accept international flights also resulted in more people coming in.
As of November 30, there are 8 more airports in Canada that will be open to international travel. Transport Minister Omar Algabra announced earlier this month.
Firestone said that compared to a year ago, the most important thing is that “traveling and getting here is much easier.” “Travel is bigger and better than ever before,” he said.
Cross-border tourism
Last month, compared with the same period last year, the number of Canadians returning home also increased. More than 480,000 Canadian residents returned by air, more than eight times the traffic volume in October 2020. However, the StatCan report points out that this is still about half of the pre-pandemic level in October 2019.
Since Canada reopened its land border with the United States, the number of people arriving by car has also increased.
According to StatCanIn August, U.S. residents visited Canada 412,200 times. This figure reflects more than twice the volume of land traffic in July-the highest level since the pandemic began in March 2020.
However, in October, the number of U.S. land arrivals into Canada fell to 292,200.
At the same time, 207,600 Canadian residents returned from the United States by car last month.
But because the U.S. land border was closed to Canadians before November 8, Firestone said many of his Snowbird customers had to fly down and prepare to transport their cars or rent vehicles.
With the reopening of the U.S. land borders, Canada is “very cautious” on PCR testing rules
Despite the greater travel demand compared to the early days of the pandemic, Firestone stated that the PCR test cost for returning to Canada is as high as $200, which prevents many Canadians from leaving.
The lack of a COVID-19 vaccine for children under 12 in Canada is another obstacle.
Firestone said: “Because children under the age of 12 are not vaccinated, they still need to be isolated after returning.”
“This has caused great hesitation among families who go anywhere during the holidays.”
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