International Travel

06/18/2024

TRAVELING TO MEXICO? "VISITAX" IS MANDATORY
Every visitor traveling to one of Quintana Roo’s tourist destinations including the island of Cozumel, Cancun or Tulum, even if traveling for business, health, education, or other tourism purposes must prepay the “VISITAX” MXN 271.00 (USD 16.00)
The payment can be made online before arrival or on arrival in Mexico. Travelers are required to provide proof of payment.
Fast and easy at:

Visitax Application Page - Seamlessly apply for travel authorizations and visas. Your gateway to hassle-free travel document processing

03/26/2024

Wishing you a season filled with peace, joy, and beautiful weather. Happy Easter from all of us at International Travel.

12/14/2023

AIR TRANSAT REACHES AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE WITH FLIGHT ATTENDANT UNION:
Travellers and travel advisors can breathe a sigh of relief. Air Transat and the union representing its flight attendants, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), have reached an agreement in principle for the renewal of the collective agreement. “Travellers can enjoy their travel plans with peace of mind,” the airline said.
Air Transat and the union representing its flight attendants, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), have reached an agreement in principle for the renewal of the collective agreement, the airline shared Thursday (Dec. 14).
The update diverts a strike that could have unfolded as soon as Jan. 3, at the height of the holiday rush, had talks fallen apart.
Last month, 2,100 flight attendant members at Air Transat approved a strike mandate, CUPE announced on Nov. 27.
The vote reflected the flight attendants' “high level of dissatisfaction with their working conditions,” CUPE said, particularly with wages and purchasing power.
Details of the new agreement, subject to a vote, will be presented to members “in the coming days, Air Transat said.
“Travellers can enjoy their travel plans with peace of mind,” the airline said.

12/13/2023

Happy Holidays from all if us at International Travel.
We are looking forward to serving you again in an exciting year 2024.

10/13/2023

07/27/2023

https://globalnews.ca/news/9854943/canada-europe-travel-authorization/

Starting in 2024, Canadian passport holders will be required to apply online and pay a fee if they plan to stay short term in 30 European countries.

05/02/2023

U.S. TO LIFT COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE FOR FOREIGN TRAVELLERS ON MAY 11:
The United States will lift its COVID-19 vaccine requirement for international travellers next week, the White House announced Monday (May 1).
The requirement for foreign air travellers and at the Canada-U.S. border, imposed back in 2020, will end on May 11 — the same day the national public health emergency related to the pandemic will be lifted.
The Biden administration will also “start the process to end” vaccine mandates for federal workers, early childhood educators, health-care workers and “certain noncitizens at the land border” on the same day, according to a statement from the White House.
Canada ended its own vaccination requirements for foreign visitors on Oct. 1, 2022.
The U.S., however, has continued to require federal workers, contractors and most international air travellers to show proof of vaccination on entry.
On why it decided to lift the rules. the White House said deaths from COVID-19 around the world are at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic, and 95 per cent lower in the U.S. than they were in January 2021.
“We are in a different phase of our response to COVID-19 than we were when many of these requirements were put into place,'' reads a statement.
The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eased its international traveller mandate last week, considering anyone who received a single dose of either a Pfizer or Moderna bivalent vaccine on or after Aug. 16, 2022, as having met the requirement.
Previously, at least two doses of an approved vaccine were required.
Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins praised the news, calling the update "long overdue" as he hopes the move will generate more cross-border travel between the U.S. and Canada.
The U.S. vaccine mandate "kept families apart and impeded economic recovery," Higgins said in a statement.
"This last lifting of pandemic restrictions is certainly welcome news and critically important as we seek opportunities to encourage a robust cross-border exchange that delivers shared prosperity."

04/25/2023

Contact our travel agents today.

04/17/2023

CONSTRUCTION AT YYZ TERMINAL 1 WILL AFFECT THE OPERATIONS OF LUFTHANSA FLIGHTS:
Lufthansa flights at Toronto Pearson International Airport's Terminal 1 (YYZ) will be affected by ongoing construction work between April 24th and May 17th. As a result, there will be remote terminal operations in place during this period, which will impact the usual gate arrangements for Lufthansa flights.
Please arrive earlier at the airport to allow extra time for the longer commute to your departure gate.
For Departure:
Passengers will still check in at Terminal 1 and continue through security as usual. However, they will now be required to go to designated gates and take shuttles to reach their final gate at the remote terminal called “IFC”, which will add extra time to their journey.
The check-in will start 15 minutes earlier than usual and will be closing 90 minutes before departure (instead of the usual 60 minutes).
For Arrival and transit:
Lufthansa flights will arrive at IFC remote terminal. From there, passengers will board shuttles and travel to Terminal 1 where they will process through custom or connection.

04/04/2023

Warmest thoughts to our clients, friends and your families on this holiday. Happy Easter from all of us at International Travel.

02/01/2023

IMPORTANT REMINDER:
New requirement from Cuban government beginning January 23, 2023:
All passengers travelling to and from Cuba are required to complete the government mandated D’VIAJEROS digital entry form prior to arriving at the airport. Passengers are instructed to fill out the digital form within 48 hours of departure, for which they will then be provided a QR code they will need to show during check-in or at boarding for proof of completion and faster processing upon entry into Cuba.

12/31/2022

Happy New Year!
We know that this past year has been full of challenges, and we pray that the coming year brings brighter days. Sending all our good wishes to you and your loved ones.

12/14/2022

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ALL OF US AT INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL:
Thank you for booking with us your memorable experiences this year. We appreciate your business and wishing you many good trips in 2023 to rediscover the world or re-connect with family and friends abroad.

10/08/2022

Happy Thanksgiving Holidays to our friends and clients from all of us at International Travel.

09/30/2022

CUBA' HOTELS ARE "OPERATING NORMALLY" FOLLOWING HURRICANE IAN: tourist board
Power has been restored in parts of Cuba after Hurricane Ian battered the western end of the island, over the province of Pinar del Rio, during the evening of Sept. 26.
The storm brought Category 3 force winds before exiting the country the next morning, resulting in structural damage in some areas.
Widespread blackouts were reported after the island’s electrical system collapsed after one of the country's main power plants could not be brought back online. Power in Cuba has now been restored in some parts, reports say.
According to an update released by the Cuba Tourist Board on Wednesday (Sept. 28), there were no resorts in the neighbouring areas impacted by the hurricane and none of the hotel zones were impacted.
Airports on the island are also open and “the country is fully operational,” the tourist board stated.
Clarifying the power situation
In a statement yesterday, Lessner Gomez, director of The Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto, clarified the local power situation, noting that local hotel infrastructure wasn’t severely damaged by the storm.
“We want to reassure Canadians that the hotels are open 100 per cent with no damages,” he said. “The hotels have their own generators and they are operating normally.”
Hurricane Ian has since made its way to Florida, where theme parks and cruise lines have adjusted their operations accordingly.
Reports say the storm made landfall near Cayo Costa, an island off the coast of Fort Myers, on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane.
Since then, winds have weakened to 65 mph, downgrading the system to a tropical storm as it moved over central Florida on Thursday.

09/26/2022

It’s official: Feds lift border vaccine mandates; ArriveCAN & masks optional as of Oct. 1

The Government of Canada has ended COVID-19 border restrictions, including mandatory vaccinations and random on-arrival testing, and has made the ArriveCAN app optional.
Confirming reports that had been circulating last week, federal officials shared the news on Monday (Sept. 26).
The changes mean foreign nationals will no longer require an approved series of COVID-19 vaccinations to enter the country.
It also means travellers entering Canada will no longer be subject to random mandatory COVID-19 tests. This measure was temporarily suspended on June 11 before being reinstated again on July 19.
The requirement for unvaccinated Canadians to isolate when they return to the country also no longer applies.
The policy changes will come into effect on October 1, 2022.
Air carriers will no longer need to validate if travellers have entered information in ArriveCAN before boarding.
Also starting that day, travellers will no longer be required to undergo health checks for travel on air and rail or wear masks on planes and trains.
Although masks are now optional, travellers are still being advised to wear one.
In addition, air carriers will no longer need to validate if travellers have entered information in ArriveCAN before boarding.
This will come as good news to many as the ArriveCAN app has faced heightened criticism from border communities, tourism groups, travel agent advocates and Conservative MPs who argue the platform has hindered the recovery of Canada’s travel industry.
Since early September, the Canadian government has been promoting ArriveCAN’s effectiveness. Officials even unveiled upgrades to the platform, such as the optional “Advance CBSA Declaration” feature.
But pressure both within the Liberals’ own caucus and bureaucracy was reportedly challenging the government to evolve with COVID-19’s threat level, forcing officials to reconsider the effectiveness of outdated practices.
While travellers will no longer have to submit their quarantine and vaccination information through ArriveCAN, they can continue to use the optional Advance Declaration feature to save time at the airport by submitting their customs and immigration declaration in advance of arrival.
This feature is currently available at Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, or Montreal-Trudeau international airports and will expand to the Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Billy Bishop Toronto City, Ottawa, Québec City, and Halifax international airports in the coming months.
Cruise measures will also be lifted – travellers will no longer be required to have pre-board tests, be vaccinated, or use ArriveCAN.
A set of guidelines will remain to protect passengers and crew, which will align with the approach used in the United States, the government says.
As for travel-related testing, Ottawa says it will maintain operational capacity to reinstate some testing at the borders in the event it is needed in the future.
The pandemic – though still active – is improving globally. The World Health Organization, last week, announced that deaths from COVID-19 are at the lowest they have been since March 2020.
Canada’s lifting of travel restrictions come on the heels of a new report by many doctors that claims border measures failed to protect Canadians.
The study, prepared for the Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable, a coalition of industry leaders that has been advocating for the end of travel restrictions, says Canada’s current border restrictions are ineffective at stopping COVID-19 variants of concern from entering and spreading across Canada and are unlikely to be effective in the future.
These latest changes do not remove the quarantine or testing requirements for people who entered Canada before Saturday.

08/31/2022

SUNWING FLIGHT OPERATIONS AT PEARSON TEMPORARILY MOVING TO INFIELD CONCOURSE AT TERMINAL 3:

Sunwing Airlines would like to inform all passengers travelling out of Toronto Pearson International Airport that, effective Tuesday, September 6, 2022, the airline will be temporarily moving its flight operations to the Infield Concourse at Terminal 3 while renovations are ongoing in the main terminal.
The exception is for pre-cleared flights to the U.S. which will continue to operate out of the main terminal.
Checking in
Customers departing from Toronto will continue to check in and drop off their baggage at the existing Sunwing counter in Terminal 3, go through security screening, then proceed to gate B26 (the closest gate to the security area) where a shuttle bus, located outdoors, will transport them to the Infield Concourse.
Shuttle buses will be operating approximately every 15 minutes.
The gate area will have retail, food, and beverage options, including an on-site convenience store, vending machines, grab-and-go meals, bar service, a selection of duty-free options, and foreign currency exchange.
On return to Toronto
The Shuttle bus will conveniently bring passengers directly to customs.
Sunwing says this move will allow valued customers to avoid gate and customs holds due to construction taking place within the main terminal in the coming months.
The concourse will be easier for customers to access while reducing walking time within the terminal.
Dedicated Sunwing Airlines staff will be on hand at the airport to assist passengers during this transition period.

07/26/2022

Almost all Lufthansa flights to/from Frankfurt and Munich canceled on 27 July 2022:
The warning strike announced by trade union ver.di will have a massive operational impact in the middle of the peak travel season. Lufthansa will cancel almost the entire flight program at the Frankfurt and Munich hubs on Wednesday, 27 July 2022. Please note that selected long-haul flights departing today, Tuesday, and originally scheduled to arrive in Frankfurt or Munich on tomorrow, Wednesday, have already been canceled too. Other Lufthansa Group airlines flights are also affected by flight cancellations.
Looking ahead to the coming weekend, Lufthansa is doing its utmost to return flight operations to normal as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, the effects of the strike may still lead to individual flight cancellations or delays on Thursday and Friday.
The flight cancellations are being implemented today, Tuesday, 26 July 2022. Passengers affected by cancellations will be informed immediately today (provided the contact details are stored in the booking) and rebooked on alternative flights if possible. However, the capacities available for rebookings are very limited.
Travelers are asked to check the status of their flight before setting out on their journey.

07/22/2022

THE RETURN OF RANDOM TESTING: What happens if you’re picked:
You’ve just returned from a fabulous trip abroad. You make it through Canadian customs, ready to get home and settle back into normal life, or at least the new normal you’ve established since the pandemic.
Unvaccinated people arriving in Canada need to take a test, but your shots are up to date, you’re in the clear! Then you get a ping from your inbox: you’ve been selected for a random, off-site COVID-19 test.
Here’s what it means, and what you have to do now that the federal government has restarted random testing, but moved it off site:
If you land in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, or Calgary you might have the slight misfortune of being randomly picked for a mandatory test.
You should know sooner rather than later, as the notification email is supposed to land in your inbox within 15 minutes of completing your customs declaration. That email will have some info about where you can get a test.
If you have a connecting flight or somewhere to be, don’t panic. You can continue your journey, but the test must be completed by the end of the next calendar day after arriving in Canada.
Sadly, you can’t use that rapid test in your cupboard at home, but you’ve got options, and they’re all free. Labs provide home-swab kits to go, or you can get a test in person. Some labs might refer you to a pharmacy in your area.
There’s a list of approved locations on the government’s website.
Make sure when you register for your test that you use the same email address you use when you sign into the ArriveCan app, since that’s how the government will get your results.
You don’t need to quarantine while you wait for results, which should come within four days, but if you test positive you’ll need to isolate.
For how long, you ask? Regardless of the rules in your province, you’re supposed to stay home for 10 days and report your result to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
If you need to leave the country before your quarantine period is up then you need permission from a quarantine officer who will give you a set of rules to follow.
If the test was inconclusive – who knows, the swab didn’t travel far enough up your nostril? – bad luck, you’ll have to take another.
If you test negative but then get sniffles, sore throat, or some other COVID-19 symptom then you’ll need to do a 10-day isolation as well.
If you’re negative and feeling well then welcome home, hope that vacation glow lasts.
You could also be selected for a random test when you come into Canada from the United States across the land border. But in that case the agents should be able to give you all the instructions you need.
Now, what happens if you don’t seek out a swab like you’ve been told to? The public health agency will be in touch. After five days you’re likely to get a phone call. If you still don’t have a test booked, you could face a fine ¬¬– as $5,000 plus surcharges.
And disobeying any instruction you get upon entering the country is an offence under the Quarantine Act and could land you in jail for up to six months with a much heftier $750,000 fine.

07/05/2022

VENICE SETS DATE FOR INTRODUCTION OF TICKETING & ENTRY FEES TO TACKLE OVERTOURISM:
Following through on commitments to address the issue of overtourism, authorities in Venice have announced when visitors will have to book a slot to see the canal city and pay an entry fee.
The new rule that will require day-trippers to the historic lagoon city to make reservations and pay in advance is set to kick in on January 16, 2023, officials announced Friday (July 1).
The new policy is aimed at managing the flow of visitors. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, overtourism – the congestion or overcrowding due to an excess of tourists – was a hot button issue in Venice, where the streets, at one point, were flooded with day visitors that far outnumbered the overnight guests and local residents.
Venice has long been a posterchild for overtourism as 30 million annual visitors reportedly entered the city of 50,000 residents before COVID hit.
How it'll work
As per the new rules, tourists who choose not to stay overnight in hotels or other lodgings will have to sign up online for the day they plan to come and pay a fee, ranging from €3 to €10 a person, depending on how crowded the city is.
Transgressors risk fines as high as €300 if they are stopped and unable to show proof they booked and paid with a QR code, authorities said.
The entry fee will apply to day-trippers only as those spending the night in Venice already pay a tourist tax.
But the program will likely apply to most visitors – according to city officials, roughly 80 per cent of tourists who visit Venice only come for the day.
A reservation-and-fee requirement for visiting Venice will begin in January 2023.
The reservation-and-fee strategy had been discussed a few years ago, but everything was put on hold during the pandemic.
An online booking system will be available in the autumn for visitors to pre-book their trip to Venice, authorities said.
Upon booking, visitors will receive a QR code that serves as their ticket, which will then be shown to ticket controllers.
Visitors to Venice will be urged to book in advance as ticket prices could be lower. In other words, the more requests for entry, the higher the cost.
The price could go up, for example, when the number of visitors booked to arrive goes over a certain threshold (which has not yet been shared).
Exceptions to the day-tripper fees include children younger than six, people with disabilities and those who own vacation apartments in Venice.
Cruise ships visitors will have to pay, too, unless their cruise line pays Venice a set fee, officials said.
A "great revolution"
Venice’s tourism commissioner dismissed the suggestion that the new measure is trying to limit the number of out-of-towners coming to Italy’s most-visited city.
“We won’t talk about number cutoffs. We’re talking about incentives and disincentives,” Simone Venturini told a news conference in Venice.
Venturini called the new approach a "great revolution" and a solution for combatting overtourism, which Venice has struggled with for decades.
Aside from the costs of running the new system, proceeds from the entry fees will go towards services that help locals, such as maintenance, cleaning and reductions to costs of living.
"Venice is a living city and it has to stay that way,” Venturini said.

06/22/2022

Join our small group to experience the "WONDERS OF TURKEY" trip from September 14 - 26, 2022 and enjoy: Istanbul, Troy, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Konya, Cappadocia, etc.. More information at 416-922-7775 or 1-877-922-8775.

06/10/2022

CDC Covid Testing Requirement Lifted!
We are thrilled that the CDC has dropped its mandate for Covid testing within 24 hours of flying into the United States as of midnight, Sunday June 12. For many of your clients, this requirement was a source of anxiety and an obstacle to travel internationally. This great news follows on the heels of most countries removing testing requirements and various online entry forms.

01/05/2022

TEMPORARY DESTINATION SUSPENSION BY AIR CANADA:
January 5, 2022
In light of the current pandemic context, Air Canada will be suspending some flights to Sun destinations from January 24 until April 30, 2022.
Suspended destinations include Antigua, Aruba, Samaná, Curaçao, Exuma, Grenada, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Havana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
To help ensure that Canadians are not stranded abroad, Air Canada plans to operate a number of one-way commercial flights from affected destinations in order to return customers at the suspended destinations to Canada.
Any travellers affected by the temporary suspension of the above listed destinations will be issued a full refund.