News

The global travel and tourism industry is on course to lose 174 million jobs this year if current restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus remain in place, reports the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

Travel agencies across Canada have suffered the blow of COVID-19 with varying degrees, with some being forced to permanently shutter and many others seeing staff layoffs and drastically reduced profits. And though government aid programs like the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) certainly help in a pinch, the impact the pandemic has had on agents and agencies has been immeasurable.

Just how big of an impact has COVID-19 had on the economy? It’s about eight times the loss seen from 2009’s Great Recession, says UNWTO.

Canadians were dealt with another blow this week when news broke that the European Union was set to remove Canada from its list of approved countries from where travellers can enter the bloc without COVID-19-related travel restrictions.

ACTA is advocating for agents during the COVID-19 crisis not just at the federal level, but at the provincial level too, lobbying for the retail travel industry in the regulated provinces of Ontario, Quebec and B.C.

Grassroots organization Let’s Get Uncomfortable (LGU) is inviting travel and tourism professionals to attend its third event in a series titled, ‘Confronting Anti-Black Racism in Travel & Tourism’, taking place Oct. 27 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (ET).

The list of suppliers offering peace of mind with COVID-19 insurance coverage just got a little longer with the addition of a tour operator and a cruise line.

As anticipated, the U.S.-Canada border closure has been extended by another month, to at least Nov. 21.

ACTA is speaking out in favour of recent changes to the federal government’s financial aid programs, however it says more help is needed.

The Trudeau Liberals sought Friday to get ahead of growing economic concerns linked to rising COVID-19 case counts, vowing new and revamped business supports to keep workers on payrolls and maintain job gains threatened by the pandemic's second wave.