One-in-five Canadians say they’ll be booking a trip somewhere, be it internationally or domestically, over the next few months as interest in travelling rebounds.
A new survey from Finder.com indicates Canadians are becoming more comfortable with travel in the COVID era.
Finder says the travel bug has bitten a few more Canadian women than men, with 21.3 per cent of men saying they plan to travel compared to 21.7 per cent of women.
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Canadians plan to travel less than other people in other parts of the world.
Nearly 40 per cent of Indians plan to travel in the coming weeks and months. The same can be said for 37.8 per cent of Malaysians and 35.2 per cent of South Africans.
On the other side of the spectrum, Australians are the least likely to travel with only 20.5 per cent planning an upcoming trip.
COVID-19 rules causing confusion for travelers
Meantime, confusion is now the defining state for many Canadians considering travel this month amid shifting advice, COVID-19 variants, and layers of testing and quarantine rules.
Marty Firestone, who heads a travel insurance company, says the prospect of flying abroad is “incredibly confusing” as passengers remain uncertain about whether they will be tested at airports upon return or forced to quarantine — on top of the gamut of measures in other countries.
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He says many clients are now rerouting trips or cancelling altogether out of exasperation.
John McKenna, CEO of the Air Transport Association of Canada, says the federal government needs to communicate guidance more clearly as thousands of Canadians start to call off holiday trips.
Omicron concerns abound, but holiday plans largely unchanged
Canadians are worried about the newest highly-mutated omicron variant and even though that worry is creeping into holiday plans this year, it isn’t expect to alter them too much.
A survey from Angus Reid released last week suggested concerns about contracting COVID-19 are on the rise, with three-in-five respondents saying they are feeling uneasy about becoming sick, and 73 per cent said they are worried their friends or family members will be infected by COVID-19.
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Despite those concerns, the number of people planning on getting together with friends and family or attending their workplace parties has rebounded to a rate close to pre-pandemic levels, as vaccination levels of Canadians top 76 per cent.
However, as omicron and the still-dominant Delta variant continue to infect people, 61 per cent of respondents said they will only be spending time with those who are vaccinated.
-with files from the Canadian Press, CityNews Vancouver