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By Amanda Stephenson<\/div><\/div>\n

In two weeks, fully vaccinated Canadians can return to Fla. While the housing-market impact isn\u2019t clear, travel agents report a \u201csignificant uptick\u201d in reservations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

CALGARY, Canada \u2013 The travel industry is welcoming what it calls the federal government\u2019s \u201clong overdue\u201d move to lift a global advisory asking Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside the country.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot believe how welcome this move is for us,\u201d said Bruce Poon Tip, founder of Canadian based international tour operator G Adventures. \u201cIt\u2019s very late, as far as I\u2019m concerned, given what\u2019s going in the rest of the world. But very welcome, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The global travel advisory was put in place in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world. The government of Canada\u2019s website now shows that advisory is no longer in place, though it continues to list individual advisories for destination countries, as it did prior to the pandemic. It also urges Canadians to ensure they are fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus before travelling abroad, and to stay informed of the COVID-19 situation at their destination.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Canada has been slower than many other countries to remove its blanket advisory against international travel, and that\u2019s been frustrating for the Canadian travel industry, Poon Tip said. He said his own company has been forced to lay off 1,000 people \u2013 more than half of its workforce worldwide \u2013 due to the collapse in travel demand.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a tough time, making those kinds of decisions. The toughest decisions I\u2019ve had to make in 30 years,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, Poon Tip said he\u2019s noticed a significant uptick in travel demand from Canadians in the last couple of months, something he attributes to the growing confidence in the wake of the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve hired 30 people in the last couple of months just to answer inquiries, and we\u2019re continually hiring again, which is a great feeling,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At The Travel Lady Agency in Calgary, founder and chief executive Lesley Keyter said she\u2019s also noticed a dramatic increase in inquiries and bookings in the last two months. But she said the removal of the federal government\u2019s blanket travel advisory will add an extra layer of comfort for some people.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure this will persuade people who were on the fence. They\u2019ll feel a bit safer about doing that,\u201d Keyter said. The removal of the global travel advisory should also make it easier for Canadians to purchase travel insurance, depending on their destination and its COVID-19 risk profile, Keyter added.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, the federal government continues to advise against travel on cruise ships, something Keyter said will continue to negatively affect Canada\u2019s travel agency industry.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m desperately disappointed that they\u2019re taking away the blanket ban, but they\u2019re still keeping this Level 4 advisory for the cruises,\u201d Keyter said. \u201cHonestly, having been on two cruises in the last couple of months, I felt safer on the cruise than I did on my overnight hotel in Toronto.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Canada opened its borders last month to non-essential international travelers who have received both doses of a Health Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccine, and to fully vaccinated travelers from the United States in August.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The U.S. government recently announced that its land borders will reopen to non-essential Canadian travelers on Nov. 8.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\nAuthor: kerrys<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"