The Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Western Canada hosted its first virtual Webinar on the topic “The current tourism & travel industry during Covid-19” on July 22, 2020. Participants received first-hand insights from Air Canada, Switzerland Tourism and the Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver.
Cancelled vacations, postponed family reunions, no business trips – Covid-19 has brought travel and tourism to a near-standstill. After months of closed borders, countries are beginning to reopen and air travel has slowly started picking up again.
At our online panel discussion three experts from the industry shared interesting insights about the current travel situation between Switzerland and Canada. Participants had the chance to ask questions prior to the webinar and during the discussion.
Recorded panel discussion
Watch the recorded panel discussion to find out more about the health and safety protocols from Air Canada, how Switzerland Tourism is changing their Marketing plans and how the “new travel normal” might look like.
Find here the list of the questions that were addressed during the webinar as well as the answers to the questions that were not answered due to time limitation.
Key takeaways and additional information
Travel between Switzerland & Canada
- From 20 July 2020, the normal entry requirements apply to any persons entering Switzerland directly from Canada. Transit through a risk country before entering Switzerland (e.g. London, UK) will not be allowed.
- Travelers from Canada do not have to go into quarantine in Switzerland, unless they have been to a high-risk country within 14 days prior to their trip to Switzerland.
- Upon return to Canada, the guidelines of the Canadian authorities apply including the requirement to self-isolate for 14 days
For more information please visit the following websites:
–Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver
–State Secretariat for Migration
–Federal Office of Public Health (reference to self-isolation & quarantine rules)
Recommendations from Switzerland Tourism
- Book with a travel agency. For Vancouver we recommend Markus Bill from Prime Travel
- Be aware of your out-of-country medical coverage. A lot of travel insurances may cover your extra travel expenses but you might not get covered if you get Covid-19 abroad.
- Be conscious and prepare your trip.
Air Canada
- Introduction of Air Canada CleanCare+, an industry-leading program committed to end-to-end health and safety protocols
- Highly flexible and expanded booking options: trips cancelled due to Covid-19 can be converted to an Air Canada Travel Voucher that has no expiry date or to Aeroplan Miles with an additional 65% bonus miles.
- Flights operating this Summer between Canada and Switzerland: Toronto-Zurich 5 times weekly & Montreal-Geneva 3 times weekly. The non-stop Vancouver-Zurich will be back for Summer 2021.
Learn more about Air Canada’s Covid-19 updates.
Read the useful step-by-step guide to prepare for your trip
Great offer for Swiss living abroad:
Swiss people with a valid Swiss passport and a residence outside Switzerland can benefit from a great offer:
Get a Swiss travel pass with a 75% discount:
- Unlimited travel by train, bus and boat
- Including mountain excursions: Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos
- Free admission to more than 500 museums throughout Switzerland
Last travel day will be December 31, 2020.
The Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce would like to thank everyone who joined the webinar. A special thank you goes to the outstanding panelists and their passion and commitment towards this event
- Andreas Rufer, Consul General of Switzerland in Vancouver
- Edna Ray, Senior Key Account Manager at Air Canada
- Pascal Prinz, Director Canada, Trade Manager Central USA , Switzerland Tourism
Also a big thank you to Fabia Leoni for the moderation and Melanie Ferreira for organizing the webinar.