Halifax Travel Agency Sees Business Boom Despite Omicron

HALIFAX–In March of 2020, national and international air travel came to a screeching halt because of the Covid-19 Delta variant. Nearly every jurisdiction barred tourists from entering and, even if they didn’t, fear of falling ill and spreading Covid shot down consumer confidence anyway.

In many ways, society is experiencing déjà vu with the Omicron variant. But, according to one Halifax travel agency, it’s the complete opposite when it comes to travel.

Elayne Pink, who co-owns Absolute Travel with her business partner Fred Mack, says this is the busiest the small agency has been since 2019. They currently have 500 clients planning to travel in the winter and early spring.

“We have been so busy. We have not had one client cancel their travel plans because of Covid, in this last (wave),” says Pink. “The pent-up demand is huge-huge.”

“Moving into the next three months, things are really booked. And we’ve sold a tremendous amount of travel in the last three months. We haven’t had people fearful of flying at all–really we haven’t.”

Obviously, things are a bit different with Covid-19 in 2022. Most importantly, most of the population has been vaccinated, making people feel safer to travel. There are also reports of Omicron not leading to such severe symptoms as Delta. Many people are also jaded from Covid and are willing to travel despite whatever risks remain.

However, the federal government is still advising people not to travel unless it is deemed “essential.” But this is just advice, not a government order–another big difference from 2020, when borders were forced to close.

“We’re in the best position we’ve been in through the entire pandemic, as far as restrictions go,” says Pink. “And resorts have done a tremendous job with setting up testing arrangements for travelers coming back to Canada.”

It’s easy to assume the pandemic wrecked many travel agencies financially but the opposite happened to Absolute Travel.

Since March of 2020, their clientele grew by 65 percent. Pink associates this surge with how quickly they pivoted at the time to meet the new, more complex, needs of passengers facing cancellations and even being stranded in a foreign country.

“We had clients who were stuck by other agencies–by booking online themselves or stuck for whatever reason–and they were following our educational advice on Facebook and social media,” says Pink.

The job of a travel agent is now much harder. They have to be aware of the differing travel restrictions of various travel destinations and they must educate their clients before they get on a plane.

“Our biggest job right now is educating the customer to make sure they have all their ducks in a row; make sure they do their check-ins properly, make sure they have their vax pass… everything takes us about five times longer than it ever did before,” says Pink

“Now, with every customer, it’s a conversation… You’re having that 20-minute conversation because they want to know what’s required.”

Travel agencies are also selling new products and services to help clients cope with Covid, such as Covid insurance. Absolute Travel now offers this insurance for $40 per person per week so, if a traveler gets Covid and must isolate abroad, their quarantine expenses are covered.

Pink believes more and more people are going to want to talk to a travel agent before making vacation plans. With so many new rules and regulations around the world, Pink doesn’t think it makes sense to risk booking an expensive trip online with zero advice.

“You’re not going to go book online when there’s no one there to help you (understand these rules),” says Pink. “What you’re seeing is travel agents being busier than they’ve ever been before, because everybody wants to book with someone who can help them.”

“Online booking should nosedive now. Why would you do that? You have no security.”

Absolute Travel is preparing to get even busier in the coming months and years. If business is growing now, it’s clear there will be a burst of demand once Omicron is under control.

“I see it being even busier,” says Pink. “We’re seeing a little ripple, then we’re going to go back to where we were before, with a vengeance. And the travel agent will have a much more important role.”

Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].