The tourism community in the Quebec City region is demanding from Ottawa that it stop requiring a PCR test to foreign travelers who are doubly vaccinated.
At a press conference on Wednesday at the Château Frontenac, representatives of the hotel industry, international tourism, cruises and the pee-wee tournament launched an urgent appeal to the federal authorities.
“The best way to proceed is to eliminate unnecessary and redundant measures,” said Marjolaine de Sa, general manager of the Association hôtelière de la région de Québec, who added further: “The travel rules Canada’s irrational, discriminatory and scientifically unsubstantiated form is one of the main obstacles ”to the industry’s recovery.
“I join my colleagues in the travel and tourism industry in Quebec in calling on the government to take urgent action and completely eliminate the requirement for screening tests, the famous PCRs for fully vaccinated travelers. entering Canada. “
According to them, the requirement of a PCR test disqualifies Canada in the travel decisions of foreign tourists, especially since the costs to obtain such a test can go up to 250 euros (CAN $ 355) in some countries. , while many other countries only require proof of double vaccination without requesting a screening test.
“People are choosing another destination right now. People don’t come to Quebec, don’t come to Canada, ”said Luzanda Rada, President and CEO of Global Tourisme, a company that organizes trips to Quebec for foreign tourists.
“All the efforts that had put us on the world ‘map’ as being one of the world’s leading destinations, that is also what we are losing,” she pleaded.
They note in passing that stopping the requirement for a PCR test for Canadian travelers traveling to the United States for less than 72 hours encourages Canadians to travel to the United States, but still hinders American entry. in Canada, which further harms the tourism industry here: “In fact, we encourage travel only in one direction,” lamented Ms. de Sa.
As for the peewee tournament, it plans to host around thirty teams from the United States compared to 50 usually and less than 15 teams from Europe and Asia compared to 30 normally. Its chief executive, Patrick Dom, explained that the cost and logistics of obtaining a PCR test has discouraged many. In addition, families, who often accompany players in normal times, will be much smaller for the 2022 tournament, which will take place from February 9 to 20.
“The Swiss came with groups of 70-80 people per team. Today, it’s the man who goes down with his little guy to play hockey and the mother and the little sister stay in Switzerland because it costs too much, ”he said.
Giving the example of a list of countries where the costs of tests vary from 150 to 250 euros, Patrick Dom stated the obvious: “For four people, at an average of 150 euros, that is 600 euros, it is not far from $ 1000 just in PCR testing. “
The speakers point out that the normal occupancy rate of hotels is between 80% and 95% in December, 50% in January and 75% to 80% in February. These rates are down 30% based on reservations received. Here again, it is emphasized that the contribution of Quebecers and Canadians makes it possible to maintain a certain activity, but is not enough to make up for the shortfall, especially since they stay shorter than foreigners and, therefore, , spend much less.
They point out that in Quebec, the tourism industry represents 400,000 jobs in some 30,000 businesses across the province, the overwhelming majority of them being SMEs.