American tourists get the green light
Canada is now allowing fully vaccinated Americans to enter the country for non-essential travel. The U.S.-Canada border was closed to non-essential travel for 16 months in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19. 

Fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents can cross the Canadian border if they meet all of the following requirements:

• Visitors must have received their last dose of an accepted vaccine at least 14 days before departure. Accepted vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson. 
• Proof of vaccination must be uploaded to the ArriveCan app before arrival. 
• Proof of an approved negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure

Save the desperate tourism industry
The tourism sector is one of Canada‘s biggest industries, generating US$83 billion to GDP and directly accounting for nearly 4% of total employment. The border reopening is hoped to save the tourism industry, which has been significantly affected by the pandemic. Hunting and fishing lodges, for example, attract a huge number of American tourists every year. 

On Monday, when the partial reopening took effect, there were waiting times of up to seven hours at some border crossings. Despite the U.S. Department of State still listing Canada at "Level 3: High", asking Americans to reconsider travel, it seems Americans were eager to finally pay their northern neighbour a visit. Fully vaccinated tourists from other countries aren't expected to be able to enter Canada until September.