The combination of pent-up demand, winter fatigue, and the upcoming easing of border restrictions and testing requirements for Canadians looks to be adding up to “the perfect storm we’ve all been waiting for,” says a local tour operator.
“The Canadian travel industry can breathe a collective sigh of relief as it gets set to join other key tourism markets in loosening the border restrictions and requirements that have made international travel more difficult in the wake of Omicron,” says David Green, managing director for G Adventures in Canada.
And he adds, “There’s now a huge opportunity to play catch-up. While many people have continued to travel since the non-essential advisory was reinstated two months ago, there is a large segment of potential travellers who have been waiting for holidays to be made easier to take before committing to (booking travel).”
Flight Centre spokeswoman Allison Wallace concurs. “Having the PCR test requirement removed just makes it that much easier and less expensive for travellers right now,” she says.
Green says pent-up demand has already resulted in strong February sales for G – a trend he expects to continue with Tuesday’s announcement of the easing of several border restrictions in Canada effective March 1.
He adds, “We only need to look across the pond to our colleagues in the United Kingdom – who in January celebrated their best month since the pandemic hit – to see what a huge difference the removal of PCR testing and travel advisories does for consumer sentiment.”
(British-based flight data analysts ForwardKeys recently reported a booking boom in the UK immediately after travel tests were dropped, including a 106% increase in outbound reservations.)
ACTA president Wendy Paradis called the easing of border regulations “great news for Canada’s inbound and outbound travel and tourism industry,” and added, “(These) changes are important milestones for travel agencies and independent travel agents.”
As for G’s Green, his advice for agents now is simple. “Buckle up,” he says, “the best is yet to come.”