AMI, August 16, 2021 - Though a significant slowdown in bookings has yet to materialize, travel advisors report that the rapid spread of the delta Covid variant has raised new concerns from clients about what options are available to them should destinations begin to impose new travel restrictions or protocols.
And, likewise, the industry as a whole is feeling rising concerns about yet another layer of uncertainty on travel's road to recovery.
At Virtuoso's 33rd annual Virtuoso Travel Week conference, held Aug. 8 to 13 in Las Vegas, Misty Belles, Virtuoso's vice president of global public relations, told attendees that the consortium's preliminary July booking data reflected a "slight impact" from the variant but that delta-related pullback has been "minimal" thus far.
Eric Hrubant, president of New York-based CIRE Travel, said that while he has yet to see clients cancel a trip or hold off on booking due to delta, "there does seem to be a level of concern."