Canada's China Transit Program expanded

Federal officials Tuesday boosted its China Transit Program, allowing Chinese citizens arriving from three new airports to access transit visa-free to the United States when connecting through Vancouver and Toronto.

The move, officials said, will encourage airlines to establish more direct and indirect air connections between Vancouver and Asia, boosting airport revenues through expenditures of Chinese travellers who will be spending time at YVR - as well as serve as a boost of the exposure of Canada’s “brand” in Asian markets.

The China Transit Program, or CTP, allows Chinese citizens arriving in Canada from certain airports on certain airlines to have visa-free transit through YVR onto a destination in the United States. Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, eligible point of origins include Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Taipei and Manila.

In an announcement at Vancouver International Airport Tuesday, Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said three more major hubs - Seoul’s Incheon and Tokyo's two international airports (Haneda and Narita) - have joined the CTP.

Alexander says that in adding Seoul and Tokyo to the list of airports Chinese citizens can travel from to access non-visa transit in Canada has the potential of boosting Vancouver’s connection to China's secondary cities, as well as encourage more person-to-person interaction.

"Transit without visa is usually one of the first steps someone takes before coming back to Canada to make a longer term investment to help build this country, " Alexander said. "And with more air services here, it only means more economic and people-to-people interactions, and it allows us to reach new markets throughout Asia and beyond.”

Currently, only passengers arriving from a handful of airlines are eligible for visa-free transit, including Air Canada (and its subsidiaries), WestJet, Air China, Cathay Pacific, China Southern and Philippines Airlines, among others.

While Haneda, Narita and Incheon aren’t hubs served by any of the approved CTP airlines, officials said Tuesday’s announcement - which also includes a new application for interested air carriers to join the CTP more easily - remains an effective step in solidifying Asia’s existing services to YVR (with the potential of helping to attract more).

“I think this will start slowly but will snowball in its effects in time,” said YVR President and CEO Craig Richmond. “With airline economy as it is right now, anything that encourages airlines - that helps them fill planes and provide service - is a good idea. We already have many people passing through Vancouver on their way to US destinations right now, and with this announcement, there will be many more.”

Paul Chu, Marketing and Business Development Manager for China Southern, said the addition of Tokyo and Seoul to the CTP allows airlines like his to expand its network capabilities, to get more Chinese nationals travelling through Vancouver’s airport and - in return - generating more connecting points for Canadian tourists travelling outbound from YVR.

He noted that, prior to the CTP launch last year, there were no China Southern passengers connecting through Vancouver onto US destinations. Currently, he estimates that up to 20 per cent of the passengers arriving on China Southern’s daily direct flight from Guangzhou connects to a US destination.

“The most important thing for any airline is the network, the connecting points,” Chu said, noting the airline has 18 Chinese cities connecting to Seoul, and those passengers now have a convenient path to the United States through Vancouver. “To go from nothing to 15, 20 per cent is a really good number.”

Alexander said Ottawa will continue to identify new airlines and airports to add to the CTP, to increase Chinese citizens’ exposure to what Canada has to offer.

“Chinese partners have been looking forward to today’s announcement, for more access to hubs in Asia,” he said. “We know these airports are the important hubs in Asia’s economical development, and we want Vancouver to be part of that… There are already people travelling these routes, and we want them here at YVR.”

The Vancouver Sun