Experts are warning Canadians that travel is about to get very busy again. And they say we need to be prepared.
“Yes, I am getting many requests for bookings,” Toronto-based travel advisor Amy Urquhart of Pure Magic Vacations told me. “People are still looking to book getaways for March Break and into later spring and summer. The demand is overwhelming at times.”
“As far as bookings go, I am well above where I was in the same time period of 2019 pre-pandemic,” said Canadian travel agent Brenda Slater, an Ontario agent and Travel Concierge with Beyond The Beach. “The trips that are being booked are almost ‘make-ups’ for missing out on the past three years. People who had been tentative in booking, are now hitting the skies, with much bigger budgets and longer wish lists.”
“The summer months are indeed expected to be challenging at times for Europe, North America and some parts of Southeast Asia as passenger loads are expected to increase and reach levels in some places close to or even above 2019 levels,” Thomas Romig, vice president, safety, security and operations at airport trade group ACI World, told Reuters.
Urquhart doesn’t expect it to be as bad as Christmas, when rain and snow caused Canadian airlines to cancel a huge number of flights, leaving some travellers stranded overseas.
“I don’t see the same situation unfolding this spring,” she said. “It’s going to be busy, and travelers should set reasonable expectations. Delays can always occur, but we shouldn’t see the same kind of weather delays this spring as we saw over Christmas.”
Terminal One at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. JIM BYERS PHOTO
As for where people are heading, Urquhart said she’s seeing “requests for bucket list destinations such as Fiji and Europe come across my desk and more multi-generational travel or travel with friends and family than ever before.”
“I’m also seeing a big rise in multi-generational family trips,” Slater told me. “For those of us with families across the country it is a great way to get everyone together all in one place.”
Staffing issues remain a problem for the travel industry, with shortages of everything from aircraft to pilots to crews, and even wait staff at resorts.
“This is causing a bit of a supply and demand issue, which in turn seems to be pushing the costs higher. But with higher costs, client expectations are also higher, so its tough to ensure everyone is happy.”
Prices also have climbed.
Richard Vanderlubbe, owner of Burlington-based Tripcentral.ca and a director of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies, recently told the Toronto Star that the cost of trips to sun destinations are nearly 20% higher than they were pre-pandemic. It’s also getting harder to find deals for flights to Europe, he said.
Katie Kewley, the Alberta leisure manager with Direct Travel, told Global News she’s been very busy booking vacations for Canadians who, in some cases, will be flying for the first time in years.
“It’s been three years since these people have had their family vacations,” she said. “It’s booming.”
The Financial Times reports that some European airports have placed limits on passengers for the summer, but that industry experts don’t fear massive problems this year.
Expedia’s Travel Insights Report for the third quarter of last year stated that almost one-half of consumers surveyed said they have plans to travel internationally.
Marty Firestone, President of Travel Secure Inc., said he’s seeing a huge uptick in insurance trip cancellation/interruption sales for the spring summer travel season.
“Sales are up over 70% this year on those product lines. People are really understanding the importance and the role insurance plays now with travel,” he said. “They’re concerned, and becoming more aware of how to protect themselves.”
