Hope for eased border restrictions jumpstarting cross-border travel
Sep. 28--------
NIAGARA FALLS — Traveling across the United States-Canada border is finally going to get a bit easier.
The Canadian government announced Monday that starting on Oct. 1, all COVID-19 border restrictions, including vaccination, the mandatory use of the ArriveCAN app, and any testing and quarantine/isolation requirements will end for all travelers entering Canada by land, air, or sea. It is also removing requirements to wear masks while on trains or airplanes, though its public health agency still recommends people do so.
The border restrictions have been in place for two and a half years, with the United States, Canada, and Mexico first closing their borders to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those restrictions have eased over time, with the United States still having vaccine requirements for non-U.S. citizens entering the country.
Sara Harvey, the director of communications for Destination Niagara, said the tourism agency would start ramping up its marketing efforts in southern Ontario to draw shoppers back to the area, since they are expecting an immediate impact when the restrictions are lifted.
"Canadians have a strong shopping presence in the area," Harvey said, coming for the prices often being lower here than in Canada.
She said that Canadian spenders spent $59.1 million in Niagara County in 2019, according to a VisaVue study targeting Visa card spending, with that money going toward the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Fall, local hotels, restaurants and other businesses.
While the COVID-19 pandemic restricted border travel, Niagara Falls did see increases in domestic tourism, with a Tourism Economics research study of 2021 released in August showing that traveler expenditures in Niagara County reached $831 million that year, an increase of 9.3% relative to 2019.
Harvey contributed that increase to people's travel options being limited, people being more comfortable driving than flying, and the area's state parks being socially distanced with a smaller transmission rate risk.
Congressman Brian Higgins' office issued a statement saying the extended measures have kept loved ones apart and kept border communities from reaching full economic recovery.
"The end of restrictions is overdue," Higgins' statement reads. "Canada's decision is the right one. The U.S. should follow immediately."
During a recent visit to Niagara Falls before the Canadian government's announcement was made, Higgins said he has called for the Biden administration to lift American vaccine requirements, saying that vaccines and testing are widely available and the severity and duration of the illness has been reduced since vaccines were introduced.
"The greatest inducement to travel is ease of travel," Higgins said, adding that cross-border traffic is down by 40% compared to levels of June 2019. "The Canadian government doing the right thing by lifting the vaccine requirements by making ArriveCan voluntary and the elimination of random testing is an important first step. But it's also very important to the Americans specifically. So it's critical to getting back to a sense of normalcy."