Travel and Tourism Industry Welcomes the Federal Government Decision to Suspend Vaccine Mandates; Calls for Full Removal of Vaccine Mandate and Remaining Restrictions to Streamline Passenger Experience

OTTAWA, ON, June 14, 2022 /CNW/ - The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable ("the Roundtable") welcomes the federal government's decision to suspend the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for domestic and outbound international travel. Today's announcement marks another important step as the sector continues rebuilding after over two years of lockdowns, restrictions, and setbacks.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Roundtable has advocated for science-based solutions to pandemic management at the border. While today's announcement helps to level the playing field, there is still work to do. To that end, the Roundtable calls on the federal government to continue following the science and lift all remaining COVID-19 restrictions governing the sector to streamline further and ease passenger experience. Further, the Roundtable is calling on the federal government to ensure that today's regulatory changes at the border are permanent.

Firstly, the federal government must remain focused on addressing issues plaguing Canada's airports. Public Health Agency of Canada ("PHAC") requirements continue to control and check incoming passengers, causing significant delays in Canada's customs halls, which has adverse knock-on effects across the travel experience. To that end, the ArriveCan app should no longer be leveraged to collect public health information. Restrictions and roadblocks at the border are relics of a different phase of the pandemic and are no longer justified by science.

Secondly, the Roundtable calls on the federal government to lift the mandatory mask mandate applying to federally regulated transportation sectors like aviation and rail. The mask mandate is out of step with provincial public health agencies, which have lifted mask requirements from more vulnerable settings like hospitals, schools, and public transit. Enforcing the masking requirement has become a safety issue for personnel, and in turn, the Roundtable advocates for this measure to be lifted.

"After two long, hard years, we are now focused on rebuilding tourism back to the economic powerhouse it was pre-pandemic. Today's announcement by the federal government is another step in the right direction towards helping us achieve that goal," said Beth Potter, President & CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Canada. "However, while this is good news for domestic and outbound travel, it does not address any of the current issues for inbound travellers or our cruise sector. I urge the federal government to now turn its attention to eliminating barriers to travel in these important areas and do so quickly so we can promote a resurgence in travel over the summer months," concluded Beth.

About the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable

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. Travel and Tourism is a $105 billion sector, employing millions of Canadians across the country and accounting for 2.1% of the country's gross domestic product. It advocates for a safe and prosperous tourism and travel sector across Canada.

SOURCE Teneo Holdings - Toronto

Media contact: Connor Whitworth, [email protected]