Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) President Nicola Madden-Greig has reported that the spiralling COVID-19 cases and flight cancellations occasioned by the highly transmissible Omicron variant has not triggered a massive cancellation of bookings in the Caribbean.

“…But we are getting queries and, yes, some amount of cancellations and re-booking is being seen,” she told the Jamaica Observer in response to queries.

On Friday, flight tracking company FlightAware reported 2,738 cancellation of fights across the world with 1,395 comprising domestic flights in the US as well as flights heading into and leaving that country.

News outlet Reuters has also reported that Canada’s WestJet will cancel 15 per cent of scheduled flights in January. In addition, it said US-based JetBlue Airway Corp is reducing its schedule through January 13 by about 1,280 flights because the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Jamaican airports have experienced a small number of cancellations since the Christmas and Boxing Day weekend. Last week, senior advisor and strategist in the Ministry of Tourism said there were six cancellations over the holiday weekend, including from JetBlue and WestJet.

“We remain optimistic that as the data continue to come out on Omicron…while highly transmissible, it seems to be mild and is pointing to a low level of severe illness requiring hospitalisation and a low death rate,” Madden-Greig said.

She also noted that the mild symptoms associated with Omicron, high vaccination rates of tourism workers across the region and the low positivity rates provides a “measure of comfort” to keep the Caribbean tourism market open.

The CHTA president also welcomed the new policy changes from the United Kingdom and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the isolation period to seven and five days, respectively. She said the changes could also augur well for airlines and cruise ships that ill-effect of rising COVID-19 cases, including inadequate staffing.

“It is unfortunate that cruise ships are experiencing these challenges [after] having put in place stringent protocols. The cruise industry supports many Caribbean attractions and small and medium size tourism entities and we look forward to revisions in the protocols that will allow for an early commencement,” she told Sunday Finance.

Cruise lines have indicated that officials in Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao have turned back their vessels from docking due to actively infected passengers aboard the ships.