"Revenge travel": As Omicron wanes, Americans eagerly book vacations

Travel agents, hotel operators and restaurateurs say they’ve seen dramatic spikes in demand in the past week, following a drop of more than 40 percent in daily U.S. coronavirus cases and spates of warmer weather in some parts of the country. People are booking spring break trips and summer vacations. They’re splurging on Disney vacations, private tours of Hawaii and cruises to Antarctica.

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Unlike earlier in the crisis, when it seemed the pandemic would end with a celebratory boom, the reality has been more uncertain and filled with fits and starts. Many say that’s given them a sense of urgency to lock in “revenge travel” during this window of relative calm before it possibly disappears again. And though the Food and Drug Administration has delayed a decision on a vaccine for children under 5, families are holding their breath and booking anyway.

“People really want to make sure they travel while they can,” said Mark Matthews, marketing manager for Maui Seasons, a private tour company in Hawaii where bookings are up 65 percent so far this year. “Who knows when the next strain is going to come and what it’s going to look like? Everything is so unknown.”

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