The local travel agent is handling the booking challenges and remains confident with the introduction of the vaccine

SPOKANE, Washington. – It’s been a year since 21 cruise passengers tested positive aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship and thousands were quarantined at sea off the California coast.

Last year, the cruise and travel industries across the country were hit, and Spokane is no exception.

Spokane’s Travel Leaders said bookings for travel across the board, and cruises in particular, have decreased dramatically.

A year after people were quarantined at sea and the travel industry still hasn’t regained a foothold, travel agents said people are still keen to go on vacation. The challenge is that travel is consistently pushed back until 2022 and even until 2023.

“Every time we make a plan we have to revise that plan as the bookings are obviously still being postponed. This has been a challenge for the past 12 months and we expect the whole of 2021 will remain a challenge” he told Jean Cook, Travel Leaders Manager.

The cruise industry lost billions of dollars during the pandemic, but some cruise liens are hoping the industry will reverse itself with the vaccine.

Cook said if you are considering planning a vacation, even if it is well in advance, be prepared for your plans to change. It’s also a good idea to consider insurance to protect your travel investments, knowing that you need to be flexible with data. Cook said some cruise lines also need the COVID-19 vaccine for travel

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