Omicron causes a spike in holiday...

The trend is threatening to upend the global tourism sector’s already fragile recovery

According to online hotel search firm Trivago, tightened travel restrictions introduced as a result of the Omicron Covid-19 variant have led to an increase in hotel booking cancellations across the globe.

Cancellation rates have increased to 35% since November and holiday travel planning was down 10%, with most travellers now opting to visit domestic destinations.

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Trivago added that the overall activity around holiday travel planning has slowed, growing by just 4% since the variant was discovered. Though international travel was expected to pick up this year, the date showed that: “Much like 2020, domestic travel is the preferred option as consumers look to reunite with friends and family.”

In the UK, fears over the variant are growing with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning of a “tidal wave” of new cases, and the country reporting the first publicly confirmed death in the world due to Omicron on Monday.

For more information, visit www.trivago.com