Is it time to book a "post-pandemic" vacation?
Everyone wants to go on holiday after the pandemic, but it doesn't look like travel restrictions will be lifted any time soon. Wait or book now?
Anyone who wants to travel after a pandemic probably faces a dilemma. On the one hand, you want to book a tour while there are still places available, but on the other hand, the third wave of COVID is still raging in Canada. So is it worth rushing or is it better to wait until things become more or less certain with the pandemic?
Experts in the field of tourism say that planning a vacation now, before prices rise, makes sense, but it is necessary to familiarize with all the conditions of booking. Concerns related to buying, for example, airline tickets for the end of 2021 and 2022 are quite reasonable.
"It's a classic supply and demand situation," says Richard Vanderlabbe, president of travel agency Tripcentral.ca, "and right now there's high pent-up demand.
According to Vanderlabbe, prices may well go up because of the influx of customers. Often algorithms increase prices for planes and hotels automatically when they detect a surge in demand. Vanderlabbe's agency specializes in international travel, and bookings for November 2021 and beyond are already rising.
He added that the risk of all tours being booked depends on the location of the resort. For example, according to the company, for the period from October 1 to December 31, 2021, Canadians are most often looking for hotel rooms in Las Vegas, USA, and Cancun, Mexico. Another popular destination is the Caribbean Islands.
Whether the tourism sector can accommodate the first wave of post-pandemic travel depends, in part, on how travel restrictions are lifted in Canada. For example, the United Kingdom, where half the population has already received at least one dose of the vaccine, has developed a plan to gradually ease quarantine measures, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that Britons will soon be able to do some international travel.
Vanderlabbe thinks a clear and gradual plan to lift restrictions in Canada would help the tourism sector plan for the future. If most of the measures were to be lifted all at once, agencies would see a massive influx of customers.
"If you can't wait to pack your suitcases when you can travel, you can bail out now for a future trip," says Vanderlabbe.
Currently, there is no indication that Canada will change its guidelines for international travel without a valid reason. Travellers arriving from abroad are still required to take COVID-19 tests and stay for three days in a quarantine hotel and 14 days on self-exclusion.
Despite this, with the promotion of vaccination, companies are enticing customers with flexible booking conditions and many discounts and promotions. For example, Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat are waiving change or cancellation fees. Travel agencies allow small deposits of $100-200 CAD per person for all-inclusive package holidays, and pay the full amount 1-1.5 months in advance. It used to be normal practice to pay a deposit of $250 CAD and pay the full amount 4 months before the trip.
