Post-Omicron Travel Trends Indicate Significant Changes in Pandemic Mindsets

Last month, like many Americans, my family welcomed the unwelcome visitor: COVID made its way into our home. It started with my three-year-old daughter, who attends preschool, followed by my husband and then me. All four of us (including our vaccinated five-year-old son, who somehow stayed negative) entered a two-week home quarantine due to this inconvenient chain of infections. The kids remained healthy and brimming with toddler energy, while my husband and I—both boosted—struggled with a mix of cold-like symptoms, fatigue, and brain fog. Some days were easier than others.

At some point during quarantine, I became increasingly captivated (or perhaps obsessed?) by the idea of an extraordinary family getaway once this ordeal ended. The beacon at the end of our COVID tunnel was a trip to Hawai‘i that had been postponed three times, planned for my son's February school break. The thought of discovering Oʻahu’s North Shore and the stunning beaches of Maui with my family, enjoying sunset strolls along the shore, and escaping our everyday routine in our temporary Hawaiian paradise had me feeling euphoric.

It turns out, I wasn’t alone in these sentiments.

“American travel sentiment has . . . surged to heights not witnessed since the summer 2021 vaccine rollout,” reported travel and tourism market research firm Destination Analysts on January 31.

A recent independent survey by Destination Analysts, which included over 1,200 American travelers, found that 81.5 percent are in a travel-ready mindset, representing some of the highest levels seen during the pandemic, according to the firm. Furthermore, nearly 77 percent expressed great enthusiasm for traveling in the next 12 months, including international trips.

More than three-quarters of those surveyed have fantasized about and made travel plans just in the past week, the firm reported.

Does this sound familiar? It certainly resonated with Brooke Lavery, a partner at the New York-based luxury travel consultancy Local Foreigner.

“Typically, people come back from their holiday travels eager to plan their year ahead. However, this year, the first three weeks of January were exceptionally quiet, as many of our clients—and our team—were dealing with COVID,” Lavery notes.

Following that initial three-week slowdown, a significant change has occurred. “Since then, we’ve seen a spike in requests, from former clients who haven’t traveled much during COVID and many new clients,” she adds.

Lavery notes that as clients emerge from the Omicron surge, many are hurriedly planning one last-minute trip now, followed by another later in the year. With some international destinations still closed or just beginning to reopen, her clients are focusing on domestic and Caribbean travel, as well as trips to Africa and increasingly to Europe.

She also points out that as we move into 2022, travelers have adopted a much more laid-back attitude toward COVID than before. “It’s no longer a deterrent to travel. I believe people are more anxious about getting stranded somewhere than about contracting COVID,” explains Lavery, whose consultancy is part of the larger luxury travel advisor network Virtuoso.

William Kiburz, vice president of Coronet Travel Ltd. and a member of the Dinogo Travel Advisory Council, mentions that his clients are feeling pandemic fatigue as well, and they “just want to get away”—far away. “People are canceling their domestic plans and opting for longer-haul trips,” he says, emphasizing that his clients are tired of postponing or delaying their plans.

Global tour operator G Adventures has reported a significant resurgence in bookings recently as well.

“January was one of G Adventures' strongest months since the pandemic began, with a notable increase in bookings for trips departing within three months—suggesting either a recovery from Omicron cases or just general pandemic fatigue,” states Steve Lima, director of marketing for G Adventures in the United States.

G Adventures travelers are gravitating towards popular destinations like Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Egypt. Customers are booking larger, extended trips, notes Lima: “For those who experienced Omicron, it’s likely they’re eager to travel again due to having boosted antibodies post-infection and want to embark on that big trip as soon as possible.”

Lima and others have observed that while travelers are keen to venture out again, they are prioritizing outdoor experiences and maximizing time spent outside. Many still prefer to travel with their pod, whether that means family or a close-knit group of friends, according to luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent.

After facing several disappointing cancellations and disruptions from the Omicron variant, Abercrombie & Kent now sees guests planning more extravagant and substantial trips, as noted by founder Geoffrey Kent.

Private flights and villa stays continue to be highly sought after, according to Kent. He also mentions that one of the many changes prompted by the pandemic is a rising interest in slow travel and immersive experiences centered on a specific region.

Staying cautiously optimistic as we look forward to the end(emic)

The fact that travelers are planning and booking ambitious trips for 2022 reflects a strong sense of hope that pandemic conditions will keep improving. But will they truly? (We’ve been down this path before, remember mid-2021 when we believed vaccine rollouts would free us from COVID?)

When asked whether the United States is transitioning from a pandemic to treating COVID as endemic, Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases, responded, “I would say . . . yes.”

He elaborates, “Omicron is spreading so extensively that it’s leaving some natural immunity in its wake. Once it clears your system, it will provide some protection for a time—we just don’t know how long.”

With the protection offered by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, along with ongoing vaccination and booster campaigns, “I believe our population is becoming progressively more shielded, which will allow us to transition from pandemic to endemic,” he states.

However, there are certainly some cautionary points to consider.

“As the United States transitions from pandemic to endemic, we will naturally relax some of our restrictions. However, much of the world is still grappling with significant COVID transmission, which means there's a possibility for new variants to emerge,” states Dr. Schaffner. “We can’t predict this will happen, but if a concerning variant does arise, we would need to respond accordingly and evaluate what measures might be necessary.”

With the Omicron surge beginning to wane and people feeling increasingly optimistic, he acknowledges that this may not be what travelers want to hear right now. However, he strongly advises travelers to keep wearing masks during their journeys, particularly in public and indoor settings. “It’s crucial to remember that the virus isn’t going away,” he emphasizes. “It will remain with us.”