Yesterday, GTAA Board Chair, Doug Allingham, welcomed Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Mississauga Tourism CEO Victoria Clarke and Mississauga Board of Trade President and CEO Trevor McPherson to celebrate the kick-off of Tourism Week at the airport.
In light of this celebration, we thank the federal government for their commitment to increase agency staffing here on the ground at Pearson. It is making a difference, and we are committed to collaborating with the federal government on solutions. However, more must be done to address passenger wait times ahead of this summer's travel season. While the addition of more CATSA and CBSA officers will help, there are still too many passengers being held on board aircraft, thus duplicative public health questions and processes are another unnecessary delay for international arriving passengers, particularly at peak times.
As such, we continue to call on the federal government to urgently streamline or eliminate inbound legacy public health requirements at Canada’s airports, and in doing so, help to alleviate bottlenecks for international arriving passengers. We are also asking the federal government to move random testing upon arrival off-site from Canada’s airports quickly, or explore other effective and proven options, such as community wastewater testing.
As the second largest employment zone and largest airport in Canada, we have a critical economic role in ensuring our tourism industry thrives at a local, provincial and national level.
For the full 7 days, our tower will be lit up green as part of the #GreenMeansGo campaign by Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC). The campaign is helping to raise awareness of the industry’s economic, social and cultural importance.
It’s time to rebuild our tourism industry and recover. For many, the airport is the first part of the travel experience. Whether arriving or departing, our passengers need to be confident they will have a smooth and efficient experience.
The pandemic has taught us how vital it is to connect with each other in person. As recovery continues, our focus remains on reuniting friends & family, bringing tourists to Canada and showing that Canada is open for business.
Canadians are ready to travel and we’re ready to support them. Let’s restore our industry together.