Travel on the rebound, but operators say ArriveCAN app still holding people back

Tom Parsons is about to embark on a very important trip, one he has been putting off for a while.

“I’m going to Bullhead City, Ariz.,” said Parsons.

The reason for the trip is to visit his father, who recently moved into a nursing home. Parsons says the trip can’t be delayed any longer.

“He doesn’t have much more time,” he said.

Last Sunday, the U.S. lifted its requirement for a negative COVID-19 test for international travellers coming across its border by air.

“I was nervous about everything,” said Parsons. “I had to get the test done at the exact timing, you know.”

As of April 1, fully vaccinated travellers no longer need to provide a negative COVID test to enter Canada.

That has people like Chicago resident Wendy Littlefield heading north.

“It’s just the time, you have to go and have the test done and wait,” said Littlefield. “If you only have a day and you spend an hour and a half of it doing a test, it’s very discouraging.”

“We’ve seen a substantial increase in American interest in Victoria and certainly that bodes well to them booking into the summer months ahead,” said Bill Lewis, chair of the Greater Victoria Hotel Association.

Victoria hotel occupancies are currently sitting at around 67 per cent.

“The phones have started to ring now more than a week ago,” said David Gudgel, chief operating officer for Kenmore Air, which has seen an uptick in Americans looking to book flights to Canada.

On Tuesday, federal Minister of Transportation Omar Alghabra made a major announcement in regards to travel.

“On June 20, our government will suspend the requirement to be vaccinated (against COVID-19) in order to board a plane or train in Canada,” said Alghabra.

For airports, that’s welcome news. For the Coho Ferry, that announcement likely won’t make much of a difference. It operates between Victoria and Port Angeles, Wash.

“When it comes to going southbound, all non-Americans have to be vaccinated,” said Ryan Burles, president of Black Ball Ferry Line, which operates the Coho.

With Canada’s high vaccination rate, Burles says the ferry has seen a steady increase in traffic in recent months.

He says what is stopping potential travellers from coming to Canada is the ArriveCAN app.

“I think it is a deterrent,” said Burles.

When coming into Canada, residents and non-residents must fill out an ArriveCAN declaration, which requires them to upload pictures of their proof of vaccination, a cumbersome task for some. The declaration can be made by downloading the app or by entering the information on the federal government's website.

“A lot of people don’t have an iPhone or any way of downloading that, so they either have to go to a friend or a family member,” said Burles. “I don’t think that’s fair.”

As travel restrictions continue to lift, people like Parsons will be more comfortable making trips abroad. Trips that often can’t be put on hold any longer.

“I’m anxious to go,” said Parsons. “I want to see him.”