News that Health Canada has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for Canadians is a huge boost for folks in the travel and tourism industry.

“The approval of the vaccine by Health Canada is an important step towards an end to this pandemic,” said Beth Potter, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. “While we understand that it will take time to roll out the vaccine to ensure wide coverage, today’s announcement provides a ray of hope for tourism business owners and operators that we will be back to welcoming visitors to our province and to our businesses in 2021.”

"We are pleased to hear that Health Canada has authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine—this is an important first step and worth celebrating after a very challenging year for our tourism sector," said Destination Canada's Tess Messmer.

Destination Canada is committed to providing the latest information for travellers in Canada, taking direction from the Government of Canada and specifically the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). For the latest official Government of Canada updates, please visit the PHAC website."

The news was announced by Health Canada on Wednesday after experts finished a two-month review of Pfizer’s clinical trial data.

This is the first vaccine approved for use in Canada.

In a report on CTV News, Health Canada’s chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma called the approval a “critical milestone in our fight against COVID-19 and in our efforts to provide every Canadian with access to a vaccine."

Cole Pinnow, president of Pfizer Canada, called Health Canada's approval a “historic moment” and also said it's a “major step towards returning to normalcy in Canada”.

The Canadian government has said vaccinations could begin as early as next week, but that it could take four to six months for a majority of Canadians to get their shots. Pfizer says Canada will get at least 20 million doses and perhaps as many as 76 million.

Residents and workers at long-term care facilities are supposed to be the first Canadians inoculated.