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As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to evolve, the Government of Canada has taken a prudent and measured approach to adjusting border measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians. In response to the surge of COVID-19 in the People’s Republic of China and given the limited epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data available on these cases, the Government of Canada intends to put in place certain temporary health measures for air travellers entering Canada from China.
As of 12:01 a.m. EST on January 5, all air travellers who are two years of age and older, arriving on flights originating from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong or Macao, will need to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result, taken no more than two days before their departure, to the airline prior to boarding. The test could be either a negative molecular (such as a PCR test), or a negative antigen test that has documentation to show that it has been monitored by a telehealth service or an accredited laboratory or testing provider. Passengers who tested positive more than 10 days before their departure flight, but no more than 90 days, can provide the airline with documentation of their prior positive, in place of a negative test result.
These planned health measures will apply to air travellers, regardless of nationality and vaccination status. They are temporary measures, in place for 30 days, that will be reassessed as more data and evidence becomes available. Airlines must receive the negative COVID-19 test result, or documentation of a positive test result taken within the prior 10-90 days, before the traveller boards the plane, otherwise the traveller will be denied boarding.
Further, when arriving at Primary Inspection Kiosks and eGates, or when making a customs declaration using the optional Advance CBSA Declaration prior to arriving at airports in Canada, travellers will be asked if they have travelled to the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong or Macao in the last 10 days. If they have, Canada Border Services Agency Officers will provide them with additional public health information on transmission of COVID-19, personal protective measures and what to do if they develop symptoms of COVID-19. This applies to air travellers only, not to those arriving by land.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is putting in place a pilot project on wastewater testing from aircrafts with Vancouver International Airport, and expanding the existing project with Toronto Pearson International Airport, to assess the COVID-19 prevalence from various regions of the world. The samples are then sequenced to monitor for novel variants of concern.ADVERTISEMENTThe Government of Canada has a strong monitoring program in place with the provinces and territories to identify COVID-19 variants in Canada, including the Omicron variant of concern and its sub-lineages, most notably through a robust genomic sequencing network and through the monitoring of wastewater in Canadian communities. Positive test samples for genomic sequencing are obtained from domestic provincial, territorial and federal molecular tests from a wide variety of sources to test for emerging variants.
While not mandatory, all travellers are strongly recommended to wear well-constructed and well-fitted masks during their travel on planes and in airports, or other crowded indoor settings. Individuals are reminded that they should not travel if they have symptoms of COVID-19. If travellers become sick while travelling, and are still sick when they arrive in Canada, they should inform a flight attendant or a border services officer upon arrival.
The Government of Canada continues to work with international partners to enhance sequencing capacity and closely monitors the global epidemiology of COVID-19 and emerging novel variants of concern.
Source: https://www.canada.ca

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Carnival President Christine Duffy & Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse Light New Year’s Eve Ball

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CHINA OPENS UP TO INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FROM JANUARY 2023 More

Nationals from Gulf countries accounted for over 872,000 overnight stays, thus becoming among the most significant markets for Germany in the first nine months of this year.According to the figures provided by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), Germany experienced a total of 180 per cent surge in overnight stays from nationals from Gulf countries in the first three quarters of this year, in comparison to the same period last year, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Last year, the number of GCC nationals travelling to Germany was 311,000, showing significant growth. However, the figures stood well below pre-pandemic levels, marking a decrease of 34.5 per cent.
In this regard, the German National Tourist Office, the regional office of GNTB, Yamina Sofo, stressed that the country continues to see a strong traction from nationals from GCC countries.
“Our goal at the moment is to continue to attract visitors from the region and aim to reach the numbers we welcomed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen a striking performance this year when compared to 2021, demonstrating that our diverse campaigns and offerings are attractive, and effectively reaching the audience,” Sofo pointed out in this regard.
According to a report provided by Zawya, the Asian source market registered over 2.9 million overnight stays for a period between January until September this year, thus indicating a surge of 283 per cent compared to the figures of the same period last year. At the same time, this upsurge shows that passengers are eager to travel even more than usual.ADVERTISEMENTRecently, the GNTB presented a campaign in order to bring to the country a large number of international visitors, thus helping the country’s tourism industry recover from the damages caused by the travel bans and other restrictions imposed to stop the further spread of COVID-19 and its new variants.
Following the easing of the COVID-related restrictions, authorities in Germany have noted a significant improvement in the country’s travel and tourism sector.
The figures provided previously by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) showed that in October this year, a 2.7 per cent increase was marked in the number of overnight stays registered in Germany, compared to the figures of the same period last year.
Still, despite the notable increase, the figures continue to remain below pre-pandemic levels before the spread of the virus.
In addition, the data provided by the Federal Statistical Office also show that a total of 17.5 million overnight stays in German establishments were registered in December 2021, which shows that a significant increase was marked compared to 2020’s figures.
Source: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/

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Tourism Revenues in Greece Reached €1.5 Billion During October More

The Greek Minister of Tourism, Vasilis Kikilias, has revealed that last October tourism revenues reached €1.5 billion, thus exceeding October 2019 by 3.3 per centAccording to Minister Kikilias, this is a result of the increase in arrivals from important markets with which strategic agreements were made this year, including +69.2 per cent from Great Britain, +10.6 per cent from Germany, and + six per cent from France, compared to October 2019, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
At the same time, arrivals from other countries also increased to impressive levels, with +12.3 per cent from the United States, +28.1 per cent from France, and +83.2 per cent from the United Kingdom as a whole.
“These performances in the month of October prove de facto that the lengthening of the tourist season has become a reality, and they mean multiple revenues not only for the branded islands, but also for the less popular mainland destinations, Athens and Thessaloniki,” he pointed out in this regard.
In addition, he also emphasised that the surplus of three billion euros, which will be allocated this year, will be distributed to vulnerable groups, families, and people in need, adding that Greece has proven how much it tries to support society. During the pandemic, the country allocated €44 billion in different forms to its citizens,  €10 billion of which was for energy.
At the end of last month, the Minister of Tourism revealed that by the end of 2022, Greece’s income from travel would exceed the 2021 budget by three billion euros.ADVERTISEMENTMeanwhile, he noted that in October, Fraport’s airports recorded an increase of +14.9 per cent compared to October 2019. As a result, there was also an increase in the turnover in accommodation and hotels, respectively by 22.1 per cent and 19.8 per cent in the third quarter of this year.
As Kikilias explains, even the occupancy rate in the travel destination accommodations has experienced very high growth, thus reaching 100 per cent.
Moreover, the Minister of Tourism said that €100 million would be allocated from the program titled “Save-Operate” in order to support the owners of small hotels and accommodations in mountain destinations that are most affected by the energy crisis. He also confirmed that the contribution to “Tourism for all” will continue until the end of January 2023.
Noting that Greece is considered one of the main tourist brands around the world, the Greek authorities have announced that this year the income from tourism has already exceeded €18 billion.
Source: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/

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US TRAVEL ASSOCIATION HAILS STEPS TOWARDS LOWERING VISA WAITS

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Germany Sees 180% Increase in Number of Visitors from Gulf States More

The US Travel Association has hailed a series of major wins for the country’s travel and tourism sector in the Senate, including a new federal post dedicated to the industry.US Travel Association president and chief executive Geoff Freeman hailed the passing of a US government funding bill, including the Omnibus Travel and Tourist Act, “a tremendous win for travellers, the travel industry and America’s economy”.
The bill will create a new assistant secretary of travel and tourism role within the US Department of Commerce, meaning the industry will have dedicated representation at American’s top table.
“The idea to create a presidentially appointed, US Senate-confirmed position to lead federal travel policy has been around for decades,” said Freeman. “Thanks to a bipartisan and bicameral group of congressional leaders, the United States will now join all G20 countries with a senior federal official focused on travel.”
Freeman said the incumbent would be vital to the association’s ambitions to lobby the US government, in particular, for action on reducing US visitor visa wait times, which it says can run to between 400 and 800 days for would-be arrivals from some key source markets.
“The assistant secretary will play an important role as we partner with government to lower visitor visa wait times, modernise security screening and leverage new technologies to make travel more seamless and secure,” added Freeman.ADVERTISEMENTSource: https://www.ttgmedia.com/

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US imposes Covid testing for visitors from China

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Tourism Revenues in Greece Reached €1.5 Billion During October More