Canadians scrambling to rebook vacations
Hugh Ji had been looking forward to returning home to South Korea with his Canadian wife and two of their friends for a trip that included stops in Seoul and a visit to Jeju island. But when he saw the mounting number of novel coronavirus cases in his homeland, he didn’t hesitate to postpone the twoand-a-half week vacation.
The 34-year-old Calgary resident said his decision was firm, even when he was initially told he’d have to pay hundreds of dollars to rebook.
“It’s not about the money,” he said.
“It’s health issues.”
The rash of new coronavirus cases appearing in Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan over the past week has prompted Canadians like Ji to rethink their travel plans, even as travel industry professionals call for calm.
Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne has said Canadians should think carefully about where they and their families are planning to travel for spring break in light of the virus’s spread overseas.
He suggested Wednesday that people examine the online travel advisories posted by Global Affairs Canada before leaving for their vacations, though he noted the federal government can’t predict whether the coronavirus will spread.
But Julia Kent, director of public and government affairs for CAA Atlantic, says aside from a few specific regions, there haven’t been a lot of issues.
“Unless you have plans to go to China, you should probably proceed as planned,” she said in a phone interview this week. “Generally speaking, when you compare coronavirus to the flu, it is far less widespread and less impactful.”
Still, many people are expressing concerns.
In Edmonton, two Catholic schools cancelled spring break trips to Japan and two other schools cancelled the Italian portion of a European trip after cases spiked in the north of the country.
Students at a high school in Gatineau, Que., who were expected to leave Wednesday for a trip to Japan also had their trip cancelled at the last minute, according to Christian Laforest, a spokesperson for the Draveurs school board.
For Ji, rebooking wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped. He said he was first told he’d have to pay fees of $500 to cancel his trip, or $150 to rebook, plus the difference in ticket price.
But by end of Tuesday, Air Canada updated its policy to add airports in northern Italy and South Korea to the list of destinations where travellers can rebook without penalty. Ji has since changed his dates to June, free of charge.
Global Affairs Canada has advised against non-essential travel to China and issued a Level 2 health advisory for South Korea, Iran and northern Italy, which urges travellers to take precautions, such as avoiding large crowds.
Kent said most major travel providers and travel insurance companies would issue full refunds only in the case of a government advisory against nonessential travel, meaning those who wish to travel elsewhere may be stuck paying for some or all of their trips.