B.C. travel sector sees sign of relief after million travellers enter Canada in a week

It’s been a brutal couple of years for the Canadian tourism and travel sector — but new statistics reveal there are signs a true rebound is underway.

From April 11 to 17, over a million travellers were welcomed into the country, marking the first time travel volumes have been that high since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported.

While it’s just one week — Ingrid Jarrett, Chief Executive of the BC Hotel Association, says it’s a major boost.

“We’ve been waiting for a long time, and I think the work that we’ve done federally with our government to open up the borders changed the messaging and gave confidence to travellers that Canada is open for business,” she said. “We’re seeing demand increase, especially in our resort destinations. But there is also this reciprocal travel across the border that we’ve always enjoyed between Canada and the US.”

Jarrett estimates the hotel sector in B.C. is running at about 50 to 60 percent capacity compared to the business it had before the pandemic began.

“Our partners such as Destination Vancouver, Destination BC, and the other DMOs (Destination Management Organizations), around the province have been poised … [are] making sure that people understand our communities are open for business. There’s rooms in our hotels, it’s safe to travel, friendly, welcoming British Columbia experience is what we’ve all been looking forward to once again providing. So I think the stars are aligned and we’re certainly seeing some recovery at this point in the spring.”

Related Articles: 

• COVID test no longer needed for unvaccinated kids under 12 to enter Canada

• Vaccinated travellers to Canada no longer need to be tested for COVID-19

Jarrett admits some sectors are seeing an increase in their occupancy compared to others and the industry can see peaks during holidays and long weekends. Now, the goal of the association is to increase the overall travel long-term and maintain those stats.

“One million over a week isn’t going to save our recovery, but it is an outstanding indicator.”

The CBSA warns travellers they could face delays at the border during peak periods over the spring and summer.

To mitigate long border wait times, it advises travellers to come prepared with their identification and complete the mandatory ArriveCAN submission within 72 hours before arriving at the border.

And with COVID-19 public health measures continuously evolving the CBSA advises to regularly visit the Government of Canada COVID travel and borders website.