Compared to the pre-corona epidemic, the booking situation for travel is still low.
Ski holidays the approach is reflected in cautious optimism in tour operators ’bookings.
In southern Finland, schools spend the first eight weeks of the winter holidays. The ski holidays in Central Finland are nine in a week and the holiday week in Northern and Eastern Finland is ten a week.
Although the omicron wave is still spreading in Finland, many people who have contracted the disease or received a full series of vaccinations may already consider traveling abroad.
Ikaalinen the managing director of the travel agency is Esa Talonen according to travel sales have clearly picked up in recent days and demand is also starting to focus on ski holidays.
Compared to the time before the corona epidemic, the booking situation for travel is still very low – also for ski holidays.
“This is the case for cross-border tourism and for all travel agencies. Sales are a fraction of what they were before the crisis, ”says Talonen.
The tourism industry is now living, according to him, “the last battle before the sun begins to shine”.
“We know that there is a lot of pent-up demand associated with tourism, which will erupt as soon as society finally opens up. I personally believe that we are clearly moving towards this now, ”says Talonen.
Many countries have begun to lift travel restrictions, despite high rates of infection, relying on vaccines to protect against the milder disease caused by the coronavirus omicron transformation.
Travel has clearly returned, says TUI Finland ‘s communications manager Laura Aaltonen.
“Week by week, trade has picked up and the increase in bookings from the previous week was almost a third,” says Aaltonen. “Ski holidays are now being busy and February is the busiest month.”
The share of families who have booked a trip is especially high.
Trips are now already being booked for summer as well, especially for June. In the summer, the holiday selection at TUI Finland, for example, is almost the same, Aaltonen says.
From the South ski holiday week onwards, the booking situation is good, says Finnair and Aurinkomatkat’s Communications Manager Mari Kanerva.
Country Director of Tjäreborg Jessica Virtasen According to the ski holiday, the trips have largely been sold.
“I have to remember that there have been fewer items available this year than before the corona.”
In addition to the Canary Islands, the favorite destinations are Madeira and Dubai for sun trips, Madeira and Cape Verde for Tjareborg, and Cape Verde, Mexico and Hurghada for Egypt.
On the other hand, Thailand’s strict travel restrictions have weakened demand and flights to Thailand have been curtailed for the rest of the season, Laura Aaltonen says.
TUI’s last Phuket holiday flight will be flown on Thursday, despite being in Thailand reopened its borders on Tuesday.
Ikaalinen Tallinn is the travel agency’s most popular single destination, as it is “safe and close”, according to Talonen.
Nearby destinations are now perceived as easy targets in many respects, says Tallink Silja’s Senior Vice President, Communications Marika Nöjd .
Tallink Silja operates from Helsinki to Stockholm with one vessel and from Turku with two vessels, and from Helsinki to Tallinn with two vessels.
Demand for cruises to both Stockholm and Tallinn has started to grow, especially on ski holidays and weekends, Nöjd says.
“Although the ships are not yet full, demand has clearly picked up.”
Sweden and Estonia require Finns to have a certificate of full vaccination or illness upon arrival.
Travel abroad It is important for the planner to remember that the global pandemic is still not over.
When leaving for the trip, it is necessary to find out what kind of certificates and health information forms are required by the destination country and whether the conditions required by the destination country are met.
“We are updating this country-specific information on our website. It is also worth making sure that the travel insurance is valid and finding out in what situations it compensates, ”says Mari Kanerva.
Although vaccines are unlikely to cause a serious illness, even a mild illness can cause surprising travel problems.
For example, the authority of the country of destination may quarantine a tourist in a quarantine hotel due to exposure.
North Person in charge of personal insurance Atte Erkamon according to the general principle is that the prolongation of the journey is compensated if he himself falls ill with corona, is hospitalized and, for example, is unable to return flight.
On the other hand, prolongation of the trip is not reimbursed by the insurance if the tourist is quarantined by the local authority for the sole purpose of exposure.
“Before the trip, it is worth checking that the passenger insurance is valid in the exact destination you are traveling to and that it is not the case that only the luggage is insured,” says Erkamo.
Although The tourism industry is hopeful that travel will pick up, some trips will still be canceled or the travel date will be postponed to later winter or the coming summer season, says Kanerva of Aurinkomatkat.
Read more: People traveling to Thailand now need to be careful – A careless person can be hospitalized for up to ten days, even if it doesn’t hurt
Correction on February 1 at 7.39 pm: A reference to an interview with THL’s Mika Salminen published a year ago has been removed from the story.
#Tourism #Families #children #booking #trips #south #travel #agencies #bookings #picked #week #week
