Canada's tourism crisis continues
Experts accuse the government of
Canada's tourism industry publishes official data that dashes hopes of a return to pre-summer levels in the near future. According to the report, tourism spending remains 34% below 2019 levels, despite significant growth last year.
The removal of covid restrictions allowed us to expect the return of domestic tourism to normal volumes, but the events of 2022 have made adjustments.
Those wishing to fly face chaos at airports: schedules change at the last minute, departures are delayed, luggage is lost, and travelers are late for their flights because of hours-long check-in lines. In turn, car travel becomes unprofitable because of a sharp increase in gasoline prices.
Bette Potter, executive director of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, believes these problems are delaying the industry's recovery for another year: "Right now it looks like we can get there by the end of 2023, but we can't say for sure."
Foreign tourists are the biggest deficit. In April 2022, the number of foreign flights decreased by 50% compared to April 2019. The number of one-day visits from the U.S. also dropped significantly: they are extremely important for the economy of border cities, and this year there are half as many of them.
Potter believes it will take at least 2-3 more years for the flow of international visitors to recover, and he doesn't expect to see a revival in the area until 2025 at the earliest.
Some experts believe that the government has the power to speed up the process, but is not doing so: although Canada has loosened its restrictions, foreign tourists are still required to be fully vaccinated and strictly check registration in the ArriveCAN program, which has received many complaints about technical malfunctions.
Most European countries and popular Caribbean destinations have removed all entry requirements, and this, according to tourism professionals, combined with the many obstacles at the Canadian border, makes the country even less attractive to visit.
Commenting on the problems travellers id="0">have constantly faced with when entering Canada, Perrin Britti, executive director of the Conference Board of Canada, a business lobbying group, said Canada should do more to address them.
He noted, "If people hear that the Canadian system is failing, they'll just go where everything is functioning better."
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Last week, the federal government confirmed it was working to improve airport efficiency: more than 1,200 employees have already been hired, customer service windows have been increased, and covid checks that were provoking huge queues have been suspended.
Meanwhile, Canadians who have already traveled around the country in the realities of 2022 say that travel has become significantly more expensive, the confusion at airports is unnerving, and so many are reconsidering their future travel plans and choosing to stay home.
