Just when it seemed that things were finally getting a little better, Canadian travel advisors have been slammed by the Omicron variant and the resulting increase in travel restrictions and testing requirements.
More than 20 advisors from several provinces responded to TravelPulse Canada's request for feedback on the impact of Omicron and a confusing government response.
Of those, just three report little impact from the latest obstacle in the road to recovery, or, as Linda DiPenta of Ottawa's Algonquin Travel & Cruise Centre called it, this "nightmare of a return."
Another Ottawa-based advisor is Liz Bardell Desrochers, a Senior Travel Consultant with Transat Travel. She says confusion and fear are spooking potential travellers.
"I am having more cancellations on a daily basis than new bookings," Bardell Desrochers said.
"It's not that my clients are afraid of Omnicron, it's the ever-changing polices that are scaring them. I have many who cannot afford to miss work if they change policies and have to quarantine again. They aren't comfortable taking that risk. Even any sort of travel insurance won't cover last minute cancellations due to new requirements."
Amy Davoli of Toronto's Travitude Travel Group says she was "doing great all through November," before news of Omicron and the resulting restrictions and testing requirements hit hard.
"December travellers still seem to be going. January ones seem to be cancelling," Davoli said. She says many of those cancellations are coming from people "who can't take additional days off work to potentially quarantine while waiting for test results."
"Also, a wave of cancellations came in when people traveling in January/February realized their minors couldn't be vaccinated in time," Davoli says.
Ontario-based Marcie Yeo-Davidson, an independent agent affiliated with Total Advantage, is seeing a similar reaction.
"I was doing okay but now my cancellations are coming in by the buckets. I was on track to having one of my best years to now wondering if anything comes out of it. It's more families cancelling, my January bookings have been wiped out."
The constantly changing requirements for returning to Canada appear to be more of a deterrent than fears of the virus, including the new variant.
"So much information is causing confusion and apprehension," says Carol Neary of Abbey Travel in Sherwood Park, Alberta.
One province over, Jamie Angus-Milton, a partner in Uniglobe Carefree Travel in Saskatoon, says her clients have lots of questions and new bookings have slowed.
"A few cancellations but not a lot," Angus-Milton told TravelPulse Canada. "Most seem to be waiting to see how things go. They need to get a better system in place for testing. Antigen tests for rapid results versus quarantine would make way more sense."
Stouffville, Ontario-based The Travel Agent Next Door advisor Coreen Doucett says she has only had a few cancellations, mostly from clients in the medical field who can't afford the potential for quarantine. But others are definitely nervous.
"A few I have talked out of cancelling until the last moment, as things change by the moment. And some are too afraid to travel and have cancelled into April, May and June."
Another TTAND advisor, Ottawa-based Cindy Almond says she has seen both cancellations and a hesitancy to commit in the current situation.
"(I've had) four cancellations so far resulting in 10 room bookings lost, frig! Mostly for January and February bookings. Also those who were in the middle of planning have chosen to hold off, naturally."
Linda Famme of Simply Travel By Design in Trent Lakes, Ontario, is seeing a similar response, saying simply: "New bookings have slowed."
Advisor responses suggest that there's a strong pent-up demand for travel, and some clients are determined to escape from another Canadian winter, come hell or high water - or perhaps come hell or high snowbanks.
"We are busier than ever and selling a ton of insurance," said Elayne Pink of Absolute Travel Specialists in Halifax.
Amanda Cummings of Expedia Cruises in Edmonton says both she and her clients are fed up after close to two years without travelling.
"People are so done with COVID, my clients are going regardless! And so am I come January!"
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