It was one of the sectors that took the hardest hit with the onset of the pandemic, and also the one that bounced back with equal rigor, termed ‘revenge tourism’. But as with the second wave of the vicious cycle of COVID-19 infections, a new version is already affecting tourism, and especially international tourism.
Global tour operators, which were banking on the holiday season, are seeing cancellations to overseas destinations amid Omicron fears. Sanjar Imam of Karnataka Tourism Forum told Hindu Although domestic tourism has not yet been affected, the Omicron strain of the coronavirus is having a definite impact on international travel.
“We have made some cancellations specifically for South Africa. International travel had just picked up pace, but people are now seeing Europe as too much of a risk. In addition, they are also avoiding travel to other African countries like Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania and Egypt.”
the inner journey
The owner of an international travel agency, who requested anonymity, said it was not just outbound; Inbound tourism has also been affected. “We are now seeing cancellations in bookings coming from the US. There is definitely concern about new rules being made in India from other places as well. Many are postponing trips to next year. In fact, even parents whose children are studying abroad and want to go back for the holidays are reconsidering because they fear that the borders might close again.
The travel industry, especially international tourism, was recovering from the pandemic, she said. “We had customers asking about destinations like the Netherlands for January. But countries have started closing borders. Earlier we used to say yes. But now there is a lot of uncertainty. A corporate meeting in Switzerland was recently pushed to May 2022 as they began banning participants from initially at-risk countries. Travel to Europe and the UK is out of the question now,” she added.
December is one of the peak travel seasons. But inquiries, operators say, have dried up. He says the silver lining is the Maldives, which appears to have become a destination for anyone who can afford it. “There is a lot of traffic to Maldives. Hotels are almost full and no one is canceling. Another destination that sees some amount of traffic is Sri Lanka. Dubai, which is generally popular, gets affected due to high airfares, so people are thinking twice,” said another tour operator.
‘s. African borders are open’
When contacted, South African Tourism did not acknowledge the impact of the new version, saying, “We are familiar with the new COVID-19 variant Omicron (B.1.1. appreciate. Local scientists who discovered the variant quickly through collaborative efforts. We have full confidence in the country’s health sector, which has demonstrated resilience, capability and exceptional expertise since the pandemic broke out in March 2020.”
However, he added that the country is open to tourism: “Currently, the South African borders remain open and the destination is ready to welcome leisure tourists and representatives of business events from around the world. We assure travelers that the South African border is open to tourism.” The safety of residents of Africa and all visitors to the country remains of the utmost importance.