The decision had been delayed several times. But this week, thehe Canadian government has finally announced that the country will once again be open to "non-essential" travel by foreigners - in this case tourists and visitors..
However, this opening up of borders is gradual. It began as early as 9 August by the United States. However, the measure is unilateral. The Biden administration has just announced that it will not be lifting travel restrictions for Canadians and Mexicans travelling to the United States. At least until 21 August.
For the rest of the world - but above all for theEuropetravellers in...
The decision had been delayed several times. But this week, thehe Canadian government has finally announced that the country will once again be open to "non-essential" travel by foreigners - in this case tourists and visitors..
However, this opening up of borders is gradual. It began as early as 9 August by the United States. However, the measure is unilateral. The Biden administration has just announced that it will not be lifting travel restrictions for Canadians and Mexicans travelling to the United States. At least until 21 August.
For the rest of the world - but above all for theEuropetravellers in search of the great Canadian outdoors will have to wait until 7 September. Tourist trips will resume on this date.
However, this openness comes with restrictions. Starting with the requirement to have been fully vaccinated at least 14 days before entering Canada. Only vaccines validated by the Government of Canada will be accepted as proof.. According to the government, the vaccines accepted are :
- Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2)
- Moderna (mRNA-1273)
- AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222)
- Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S)
Passengers will also need to load the ArrivCAN application allows future travellers to register and scan proof of vaccination. The government also specifies that restrictions or additional measures issued by the provinces may apply in addition to the national measures. But in principle, quarantine and the requirement for a compulsory PCR test on the 8th day will disappear.
However, the Canadian Ministry of Health specifies that the reopening to all international travellers will only take place "if the epidemiological situation in the country remains favourable".
The prospect of this imminent reopening has led to a number of improvements. The government is opening more international airports, in this case Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Quebec City and Winnipeg. Until now, only Calgary, Montreal-Trudeau, Toronto and Vancouver airports have been able to handle international flights.
Air Canada in Europe and the United States
It also comes with a densification of international air routes. It primarily concerns cross-border links with the United States. Air Canada has announced 55 routes to 34 American destinations. A total of 220 daily flights. Air Canada will offer 13 destinations from Montreal and 30 from Toronto.
The reopening in September will also help to boost the resumption of flights to Europe. Air Canada has announced the return of six additional routes on its long-haul network, in addition to the ten existing routes. As of yesterday, the carrier is once again offering a flight between Toronto and Vienna, and on 22 July it will be resuming its service to Europe. between Geneva and Montreal. The company offers three frequencies per week on each route.
On 1 August, the airline will resume services from Dublin to Toronto, Frankfurt to Calgary and Tel Aviv to Montreal. On the 2nd, the Canadian national carrier will finally return to the Paris CDG-Toronto route with five flights a week.. Finally, on 3 August, Air Canada will be flying again from Zurich to Toronto (4 flights/week) and from London Heathrow to Montreal (4 flights/week).