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More Londoners have been turning to travel agencies for help getting away from it all compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's a trend seen across Canada, driven by pent-up pandemic demand as Canadian travellers take long-awaited excursions they had been postponing.
Recent data from Statistics Canada shows business has been strong for travel arrangement and reservation services across the country, with operating revenues above where they were before the pandemic.
Nationwide, travel agencies alone reported operating revenues of some $2.79 billion in 2023, the most recent year available, compared to $2.5 billion in 2019. Revenues took a hit in 2021, dropping to $836 million.
Tour operator revenue hit $9.1 billion, in line with 2019, while other travel arrangement and reservation services, such as ticket service companies and travel wholesalers, saw $3.3 billion in 2023 revenue, up nine per cent from 2019.
That boost in business for travel agencies has been felt by companies in London, who say the high demand continued into 2024 and may linger into this year.
Among the agencies Londoners have flocked to is Travel Genuine. Owner Nurudeen Assaf believes...