Book fast and be flexible: Travellers should brace for rush in bookings after COVID-19 testing requirements lifted

Canadian travellers who have been deterred from leaving the country due to COVID-19 testing requirements may now find themselves rushing to book a trip abroad thanks to news that the federal government plans to lift the pre-arrival testing requirement for most travellers.

CTV News has learned that as of April 1, fully vaccinated travellers entering Canada will not have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, eliminating the risk that they could get stuck abroad with a positive test result.

Passengers may still be subjected to random PCR testing at the airport, and travellers will still have to use the ArriveCAN app to enter their proof of vaccination and other required information.

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For some, the pre-arrival testing requirement was seen as too big of a risk to travel, for fear of running up a costly bill if they were to be stuck at their destination.

Now, experts say a growing number of Canadians are hungry for what many in the industry are referring to as “revenge travel”—a pent-up demand to travel freely and less willingness to cancel plans.

“We've heard it hundreds of times over the past few months, [travellers] were scared of testing positive and being stuck whether it was for 10 days or 14 days, depending on the country,” Andrew D'Amours, co-founder of the travel advice website Flytrippers, told CTNews.ca by phone Wednesday.

“This is going to be like opening up the floodgates. And we'll see a lot, a lot of bookings for later this spring, this summer.”

Eliminating the testing requirement is something that travel and tourism organizations as well as the mayors of border towns have been calling for, arguing that the requirement is not justified by science and presented an unnecessary logistical and financial burden on travellers.

The move represents what will likely be a resurgence for the Canadian tourism industry, one sorely impacted by pandemic-era restrictions.

“People as of right now will start planning to travel into Canada knowing that they won’t have to deal with testing,” Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure Inc., told CTVNews.ca by phone.

“Our tourism and hospitality industry will see immediate results from this decision... I think it’s probably one of the biggest sort of restriction lifting we’ve seen in the last two years.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR CANADIAN TRAVELLERS?

But for Canadians who once again feel confident going abroad, the announcement comes with a caveat: be prepared to pay more to travel.

Ambarish Chandra, associate professor of economic analysis and policy at the University of Toronto, told CTVNews.ca that, unfortunately, as with any case of supply and demand, the price of travel will rise simply because of the number of people who want to travel.

“The fact that prices will rise is essentially indicative of the fact that people are willing to travel. So, yes, there will be some people who will be priced out of this, out of the market as a result,” Chandra explained.

Firestone notes that pent-up demand will also create supply and demand issues with all kinds of transportation, from airlines and cruise ships to ground transportation.

“Couple that with the fuel cost scenario that's going on right now as a result of the war [in Ukraine] and you're going to see a definite increase, I would think, in packages, airfare, cruise ships, all that,” said Firestone.

Aside from price, travellers should also be prepared to be flexible when booking post-pandemic trips due to the sheer number of others looking for a little getaway.

“If we’re to boil it down as flight price experts, it really comes down to one thing. You have to be flexible,” D'Amours explained.

“You have to be flexible about either your date or your destination. Whenever you want to leave, there is going to be some destination that’s on sale. If you want to go to a specific destination and you’re flexible on dates, you’re always going to be able to find a cheaper flight.”

But, as D'Amours, we’re not out of the woods just yet when it comes to pandemic restrictions. Just because Canada is removing its pre-arrival testing requirement for fully vaccinated travellers, doesn’t mean your destination will have the same rules.

“You can’t just buy a flight and hop on a plane like you used to in 2019. You have to read the rules,” he said. “It’s not very fun, it’s not the best part of travel, but you have to review just to make sure that you're following all of their entry rules to make sure that you're not denied boarding and you have the right type of test if you need one."