Members of the Canadian Snowbird Association (CSA) are calling on the Federal Government to drop the PCR test requirement for return to Canada, calling it "cost-prohibitive."
Led by CSA Executive Director Michael McKenzie, the group held a press conference today at the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable at Toronto's Royal York Hotel.
McKenzie noted that the test costs up to $200 per person, a significant disincentive for the one million Canadian seniors planning to head to warmer climes for at least part of the winter season.
"As the voice of more than 115,000 members, the Canadian Snowbird Association is concerned about the burden on Canadian travellers incurring high testing costs to travel," McKenzie said. "Based on science, other countries have removed testing for vaccinated travellers, making travel more accessible and far less cost prohibitive."
Also present at the press conference was ACTA president Wendy Paradis, who said the test requirement for returning to Canada goes against the recommendations of the government's own science panel, which advised in May that pre-departure testing is not necessary.
"Bookings are on the rise, but the travel and tourism industry is bracing for cancellations," Paradis said. "Confusion around the rules, the border and testing is creating an environment of uncertainty for travellers, especially for Seniors. It's time for the rules to keep up with developments in science that will keep Seniors safe while allowing them to travel."
Lorraine Simpson, Founder of Lorraine Simpson Travels, said the rules are slowing the resumption of travel.
"As we enter this new phase of the pandemic, once characterized by mass-vaccination and low-case counts, travel should have been up and running. In pre-pandemic times, Senior travel accounted for about 35 percent of international Canadian travel - and that does not even include the United States. This market just simply has not returned."
The Canadian Tourism Roundtable is a cross-Canadian coalition of leaders in the tourism and travel sector - including representatives from airports, airlines, hotels, and chambers of commerce across the country - committed to working together to restart the sector smoothly and safely.
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