On Vancouver Island, pressure mounts to reopen Canada-U.S. border to tourists
As vaccination rates rise on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, so too is pressure to reopen the border to tourist travel.
Clipper Vacations CEO David Gudgel says there is a lot of pent up demand for the passenger ferry that connects Seattle and Victoria.
“We felt like it’s pressure behind a dam, and the dam is beginning to crack, and it may happen very quickly,” said Gudgel on Tuesday.
Meanwhile on the Canadian side of the border, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada launched a campaign Tuesday calling on Ottawa to lay out a timeline for reopening the border, and to allow recreational travel as soon as safely possible.
Paul Nursey, head of Destination Greater Victoria and a director of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, says a roadmap for when the border will reopen is important for the industry to start its planning.
“Our association thought the time was right to start to press the government more concretely to try and get a roadmap and a plan,” said Nursey on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Trudeau was asked about rumours the Canadian border might partially open to tourists from the U.S. by June 21. “We have no announcements to make today,” said Trudeau.
Still, political pressure has been mounting from south of the border, where more people have second doses, and large gatherings are already occurring at events, including sports competitions.
The Canadian Press quoted Trudeau Monday acknowledging that the government was looking at a phased approach to reopening the border, perhaps by July or August.
What is clear: tourism businesses on both sides of the border need international tourists to survive.
“We have had to lay off many people, including about 20 folks from Victoria,” said Gudgel, noting that the company would be “elated” to be able to bring back those folks after the border reopens, something it’s now hopeful may happen sooner than the fall.
Nursey added that American travellers spend more money than domestic travellers.
“The U.S. traveller is a much more lucrative traveller in terms of average spending — almost twice as much compared to the Canadian traveller,” he said.
While previously the fall was seen as the earliest date for the international border to open, Nursey now says an August opening would be a “win” for the industry.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.