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Cruises, overseas holidays are taking off again, say Red Deer travel agents

Ater two pandemic years, people are satisfying their pent-up demand
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(Black Press file photo).

Cruising is back on and so are overseas holidays, say local travel agents, who are getting as many customer calls as in pre-COVID days.

While there are still rumblings about a possible sixth wave of COVID-19, many people are tired of putting their travel plans on hold: “Our inquires are back to 2019 levels and sales are creeping up,” said Vicki Raines, manager of AMA Travel in Red Deer.

Susan Walker, owner of Red Deer’s Expedia Cruises, said she’s seeing a similar surge in interest, with bookings comparable to 2019 — the last good travel year.

While a lot of reservations taken by AMA Travel have been using up pre-existing travel credits from cancelled trips in 2020 and 2021, Raines said some new bookings were recently made for round-the-world cruises indicating that some people are done with suppressing their pent-up demand for adventure.

“I think they have a chance to cross some things off their bucket list, and they’re going for it,” she added.

With various COVID rules and protocols, there’s never been a busier time for travel agents.

Raines said most airlines have their own COVID rules, while various airports might have other protocols. She’s also keeping abreast of what vaccines are needed in what countries, “and sometimes different regions in these countries have their own vaccine rules.”

Raines noted all of this can change at any given time, so “that’s a lot of checks and re-checks.”

Walker feels she can no longer give out blanket travel advice since the COVID mandates are so trip-specific. “We are in constant touch with clients to give them the latest updates.”

Canada recently lifted its requirement for COVID testing for returning travellers, and so local travel agents are relieved to be experiencing some normalcy in their industry again.

Raines has noticed more interest in cruises since government advisories were taken off last month allowing more access to travel insurance.

Walker has been on three cruises since September and was very impressed by what she saw, in terms of cleaning, sanitizing and reporting. Cruise ship companies “are heavily mandated,” she said, and are among the safest kinds of travel.

While Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine is raising questions and concerns from would-be travellers, Raines is seeing some fall trips to Europe being booked by clients who hopes to hear better news by then.

Walker is getting some queries about travel to Western and Southern Europe.

Cross-Canada trips are also very popular — as is adventure tourism in Iceland and sun destinations, such as Las Vegas, said Raines.

Many holidays are now being booked into 2023 and 2024 as travellers are legitimately concerned about rising costs, with fuel surcharges and inflation. “There aren’t a lot of deals to be had,” admitted Walker, “and people are definitely concerned that prices could continue to go up.”



lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com

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