Canadian airports saw 14-fold increase in foreign travellers after border opened: report
Global News
Among non-resident travellers who flew in to Canada last month, 114,200 were from the United States and 149,200 from other countries.
Canada saw a spike in the number of international travellers entering the country as it eased COVID-19 measures and reopened its borders to fully vaccinated individuals earlier this year.
New figures released Friday by Statistics Canada for the month of October, showed 263,400 non-resident arrivals at Canadian airports, representing more than a 14-fold increase compared to the same time last year.
Among those foreigners who flew in to Canada last month, 114,200 came from the United States and 149,200 from other countries.
Starting Aug. 9, Canada eased its travel restrictions — in place since March 2020 — allowing fully vaccinated Americans into the country for non-essential purposes, without having to quarantine upon arrival.
On Sept. 7, the borders were opened further, allowing in foreign travellers from across the globe.
Under the new measures, anyone entering the country must be fully vaccinated with shots approved by Health Canada, and show proof of a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before their scheduled flight.
This development is no surprise, given the “tremendous safeguards in place” and the national vaccination uptake — nearly 75 per cent, said Martin Firestone, a travel insurance broker in Toronto.
“I think it shows confidence to travel, quite frankly, that you are coming to a country that’s incredibly safe, with vaccination levels higher than most countries in the world,” he told Global News.
