Omicron fright looms over upcoming winters

Monday, December 6, 2021

In western Jamaica, the new omicron variant is creating major apprehension among tourism interested candidates, as the number of cancellation increases steadily in the middle of its spread across the world and causing travel bans.

So far, this new variant has been detected in many countries since it was first flagged in South Africa. Among the countries finding the variant among samples are several source markets for Jamaica’s tourism industry.

Also, Jamaica has collaborated with many countries in introducing travel restrictions on people coming from affected regions, particularly in southern Africa, as experts related to travel lower their expectations for the upcoming winters.

“There are some cancellations because of airline concerns, but we are not overly concerned yet. This is normal when you have a change in the market; there is usually a knee-jerk reaction,” one industry player with intimate knowledge of discussions at Jamaica’s tourism ministry told The Sunday Gleaner.

“At this time, we don’t see it as anything significant, but until everybody knows what is really happening, people are just a little concerned of what the variant will be and how it will affect travel, so there is some apprehension or tension in the market at this time,” added the person, who asked not to be identified.

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