Long delays as Canada opens border to fully vaccinated American tourists after 16 months

Travellers line up to enter Canada after border restrictions were loosened to allow fully vaccinated U.S. residents, after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic forced an unprecedented 16-month ban that many businesses complained was crippling them, at the Peace Arch border crossing in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada August 9, 2021. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

VANCOUVER (Reuters) -Long delays were reported at the border on Monday as Canada finally opened to fully vaccinated American tourists for the first time in 16 months, causing a rush of travelers during the busy summer season - and bottlenecks for a desperate tourism industry.

Government data showed a seven-hour wait for the Fort Frances, Ontario, and International Falls, Minnesota, crossing. Fort Frances advertises itself online as "rarely experiencing delays."