The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable welcomed both the removal of all testing requirements for travellers to the United States as well as Canada's decision to temporarily suspend mandatory arrivals testing for vaccinated travellers.
But the group of leaders from airlines, hotels, airports and chambers of commerce says there is still "significant work to do to alleviate unnecessary pressures on the travel sector and passenger experience."
Roundtable members say this includes immediately lifting the "outdated" vaccine mandates for passengers and federally regulated aviation workers and removing duplicative health checks at Canada's airports.
"While today's announcement in Canada will remove some testing, there will remain congestion issues as all passengers' vaccination status will continue to be determined at the border, with unvaccinated travellers still required to undergo a COVID-19 test upon arrival through June," a statement reads.
"Canada's outdated rules are causing unacceptable delays at the country's major airports, keeping international visitors away and souring Canada's reputation on the world stage. Domestically, Canada's travel rules are hurting small businesses, unfairly impacting families looking to enjoy the summer travel season and forcing the cancellation of conferences and events that help power local economies," the group says.
The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable is calling on the federal government to immediately:
-- Remove vaccination mandates for passengers and federally regulated aviation workers.
-- Remove the Public Health Agency of Canada's (PHAC) duplicate health checks and questions through ArriveCAN at government checkpoints.
-- Remove manual selection processes for testing from CBSA and within airports.
-- Establish clear service standards for security and customs processing of passengers travelling through Canadian airports.
"Canadians are ready to travel abroad, and international travellers are ready to travel to Canada. As demand for travel returns and other global economies re-open, Canada's border policies and resources must reflect the new reality," the Roundtable statement concludes.
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