Travel agency says lack of tourism info amid Omicron a ‘total disaster’

As governments continue making rapid changes to travel requirements amid Omicron, a Halifax travel agency co-owner says the lack of clear information is a “total disaster” and something she's never witnessed.

“No information. Absolutely zero information was released to the front line people, to the travel agent community, to the Halifax airport, to most airports, to [Toronto] Pearson Airport,” Absolute Travel co-owner Elayne Pink tells CityNews Halifax. “It was a total disaster to be polite. Right up until now, it's still a mess.”

On Friday, federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos warned Canadians in a news conference about travelling internationally due to rising Omicron cases around the world.

“Things are happening very quickly outside of Canada. So if they think of travelling, that should be a serious alarm bell, a serious concern for them,” Duclos said. “It's not only about coming back to Canada. When they come back to Canada, they should expect delays and hassles.

“We're going to do what we need to do to protect the health and safety of Canadians at the airport. But they should also be mindful that it's going to be uncertain and risky to travel in a number of other countries over the next weeks.”

One of the latest changes occurred at the end of November where all air travellers entering Canada from outside the country, with the exception of the United States, will have to be tested at the airport upon arrival, on top of the existing pre-departure test requirement.

Moreover, travellers who are fully vaccinated must self-isolate until getting a negative test result. Non-vaccinated travellers will have to self-isolate for 14 days and test on day one and day eight of their quarantine.

However, Duclos said on Friday that airports are still not yet at full capacity for testing all travellers. As of Dec. 9, the capacity was 17,000 tests a day across the country but the goal is to reach 23,000.

Pink said the lack of clear information is confusing. For one, she questions why travellers from the United States are exempted from mandatory testing.

“We've never seen anything like this — nothing,” she said. “I'm sure most of the listeners who've heard some of the interviews out there with the various ministers or what have you, even in their interviews they're confusing. I don't think they know what to do or how to handle the constant changes that are out there.”

As of Dec. 9, there were 87 confirmed Omicron cases reported in seven Canadian jurisdictions.

For people who are currently travelling, Pink said she has a few major rules.

• Deal with a professional such as a travel agent who knows every current rule
• Always complete your files in the ArriveCan app when returning to the country and print out hard copies of the documents
• Buy travel insurance to protect possible trip cancellations

Still, Pink says she still hasn't had a single insurance claim since travel is still quite safe.

“People are travelling,” she said. “We had clients who returned last night from Italy. They went through customs in Toronto no problem. They weren't even asked for their documentation or required to test.

“We talk to every single solitary customer that we deal with when they come back. We have not encountered one person who has said they wouldn't turn around and go again.”