After four months of inactivity, the main Canadian airlines have begun to fly to Mexico and its tourist destinations, including Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.
In January, the Government of Canada tightened its measures against Covid-19; At the time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that all flights to Mexico and the Caribbean would be suspended until April 30 to slow the spread of the disease. However, the suspension was prolonged and it wasn’t until June 5 that the first flights from Canada resumed activities, with one flight a week with WestJet from Calgary to Puerto Vallarta. Since then, air connectivity with Puerto Vallarta has been gradually restored through the International airport Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz.
In addition to WestJet, the ultra-low-cost company Swoop has just announced that it will restart operations in the fall season, with flights through Canada and other “sunny and fun destinations” in the United States, the Caribbean, and Mexico, including Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta.
Swoop returns on October 5 with the routes Hamilton-Puerto Vallarta / Riviera Nayarit and Edmonton-Puerto Vallarta / Riviera Nayarit. Later, on November 3, it will resume the Abbotsford-Puerto Vallarta / Riviera Nayarit and Toronto-Puerto Vallarta / Riviera Nayarit routes. Finally, on November 4, the Winnipeg-Puerto Vallarta / Riviera Nayarit route will be inaugurated.
Air Canada announced that it will resume the Vancouver-Puerto Vallarta / Riviera Nayarit route starting August 1. Likewise, the Transat company plans to restart its flights from Toronto and Montreal as of November.
Canada represents the second most important foreign market for Puerto Vallarta, after the United States. Tourists from Canada are important to the area due to their prolonged stays during the winter.
“Every year, thousands of Canadians travel to this region to escape the intense winter cold and find here an enviable climate, the most beautiful beaches, security and, of course, a high quality accommodations available,” said Marc Murphy, CEO of the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (OVC).