Ever heard of a “vaxication”? Bloomberg recently published a piece titled “Celebratory ‘Vaxications’ Are Giving the Travel Industry a Boost” reporting that “pent-up demand and a surplus of spending money have itchy travelers eager to check off their bucket lists.”
As you may know, the Galapagos Islands have been open for some months now and our luxury expedition yachts, Origin and Theory, have been successfully and safely voyaging since last August. Of course, appropriate changes have been made with new covid protocols being added, yet operating in the Galapagos Islands we are very aware of the importance of evolution so evolving in these changing times was only natural.
Journalist Jamie Lafferty travelled aboard Theory, our 10-cabin Relais & Chateaux expedition yacht, at the end of 2020. He wrote a piece in the British newspaper, The Telegraph, about cruising during the pandemic.
Directly addressing the concerns people may have about cruising in these times, Lafferty writes: “the Galapagos Islands are one of the world’s rare destinations that seem worth the extra expense and logistical challenges of travelling when confidence is low and concern high.”
Lafferty also covers the situation from the point of view of the local people in the Galapagos Islands, eight out of ten of whom rely on tourism for their livelihoods. “This was just Theory’s second sailing since the industry collapsed,” he writes, “but for our expedition guides, Antonio Adrian and Billy Maquilon, it was the first time they’d had work since March [2020]. Antonio has been guiding in the Galapagos for 25 years and this was his longest time away from the islands.”
Coming back to “vaxications”, the team here at Ecoventura has seen a small surge of inquiries from people who are vaccinated, 65+ and health care workers. This trend of carpe diem has been covered by Tom Robbins from the Financial Times, who writes “tour operators report growing numbers of inquiries for full-on “once-in-a-lifetime” adventures. Partly, it seems to be the result of pent-up demand; partly, a sense of needing to take life by the horns before it’s too late.”
The New York Times reported something similar. “Some older travelers are even opting to finally book those big-ticket dream trips,” wrote Debra Kamin in a recent piece in the NYT titled “A Different Early-Bird Special: Have Vaccine, Will Travel” which talked about how people “over 65 have been among the first in line to receive Covid-19 vaccinations. And they are leading a wave in new travel bookings.”
Another new type of traveler we are receiving are those who have had and recovered from coronavirus. As times change, we will continue to adapt to meet the needs of our valued clients. One thing we have seen in these past months is that guests are booking two weeks back to back in 2022 – this way they can experience both itineraries and make the most of vacation funds they did not use in 2020 or 2021!
There has also been a rise in charter requests and bookings. With maximum ten passengers, our expedition yachts are ideal for that multigenerational trip you have had at the back of your mind these past years. Do send us an email if you would like to discuss a potential trip. There’s no time like the present!
