‘Absolute body blow’: Travel industry left reeling from new COVID-19 variant

The travel industry say the government’s response to the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, has set consumer confidence back “three to four months”.
Omicron was recently detected in South Africa and has since been declared a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation..
It is believed to be more transmissible than Delta but so far only mild symptoms have been reported.
It comes as the states and territories reinstate quarantine restrictions for international arrivals.
Dean Long, Chief Executive of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents told Gareth Parker it’s had a devastating affect on the industry.
“There is this fear of not being able to return home,” he said on 6PR Breakfast.
“So unfortunately what the government has done has almost cemented that now with the decision that they’ve made.
“Even though it’s for two weeks, but people are going to be wondering now ‘will I be able to get home’.
“But it’s worse for our WA agents, they’ve been close for twenty months, and that has just been devastating for them.
“So for the travel agent community in WA, it’s the worst time to be trading in the history of travel.”
Press PLAY to hear more from Dean Long belowÂ
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