Canada will pitch ‘safe tourism’ to travelers once borders open

Canada aims to capitalize on its more conservative approach to fighting the coronavirus to promote itself as a safe destination for tourists once the pandemic subsides. Since March, Justin Trudeau’s government has kept in place a travel lockdown that bans most foreign visitors and forces anyone coming into Canada to quarantine for 14 days. The virus has devastated the travel industry: Tourism spending in Canada plummeted by 66.3% in Q2 to C$7b. But the rules may have contributed to Canada’s relatively better performance in fighting Covid-19, though cases have been on the rise lately. “What we want to do is really to position Canada as a safe country once this pandemic ends,” Economic Development Minister Melanie Joly said. “I think that can be really our competitive edge because following the pandemic we will need to build trust within the industry in Canada.” American travelers are the No. 1 source of tourists to Canada. US visitors accounted for two thirds of arrivals, or 15m tourists, in 2019, according to Statistics Canada. “Countries will be competing to get their fair share of tourists and so that’s why I think positioning us as a safe country where health of Canadians and visitors is paramount will be key,” Joly said.<br/>