Canada draws 1 million travelers in one week for first time since pandemic

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpBy Jenna Zuckerp

pTORONTO Reuters – Canada attracted more than one million travelers in a week for the first time since the pandemic, government data showed on Friday, as easing of COVID19 border restrictions encouraged visitors back into the country. pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pAs Canada heads into its peak summer holiday season, tour operators are betting the revival seen in the first week of April would gather pace. Tourism was among the worst sectors to be hit by the pandemic. p

p“People are ready to spend more after being stuck at home for two years and want to stay at highend properties in case COVID is still around,” said Alla Weintraub, a luxury travel advisor for F1S. “People believe those hotels will take better care,” she added. p

pCanada had imposed some of the strictest border measures to stop the spread of COVID19, but after Ottawa dropped the requirement for COVID tests for vaccinated travelers starting April, tour companies began to see an uptick in bookings. p

pCanada Border Service Agency CBSA said more than 1 million travelers were admitted into the country during the week of April 11. Still, visitor numbers are down about 44 from the April 1517, 2019 period. p

p“Our phones became busier and busier, it gave more confidence to people. We‘re still being careful, but it’s been encouraging,” said Elyse Mailhot, Marketing and Communications manager at Discover Canada Tours. p

pRising travel demand is expected to be a theme when Air Canada releases quarterly earnings next week.p

pTourism spending in Canada rose 4.4 in 2021 to C50.8 billion 40 billion from 2020, when it fell 49 from 2019, official data released in March showed. In 2021, tourism accounted for 4.1 of Canadas GDP.p

pWhile tours are picking up, it has become tough to find talent to lead them. “I think people moved to other industries,” Mailhot said. “Even students seem to be pickier.”p

p1 1.2711 Canadian dollarsp

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pp Reporting by Jenna Zucker Editing by Marguerita Choyp

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