Saga has made vaccines a requirement for cruise bookings
Saga Holidays, the UK travel agent known for specialising in cruise holidays for the over-50s market, has written to all customers informing them they must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before travelling on one of the group’s trips
In Saga’s statement it says all guests should be fully inoculated, which means they must have received both doses and waited for full immunity to take effect. Therefore, the company will require all of its guests to have received both doses of the vaccine no later than 14 days prior to departure.
Chris Simmonds, CEO of Saga Holidays, said on the website: "Having spoken with our customers, we want to ensure we are providing the safest possible experience whilst they are on holiday with us. We have made the decision not to allow a guest to travel with us if they choose not to receive the vaccine. The majority of our guests fall into the at-risk age bracket and our priority is their safety and wellbeing.”
Other holiday companies are considering similar moves
Saga Holidays is the first UK cruise line to make vaccinations compulsory for guests. Other holiday companies and airlines are considering similar moves, and this could be the start of an industry-wide scheme.
Simmonds added: “This new measure will be in addition to the detailed arrangements we have already made in preparation for our return to service, which have been recognised and led to us being the first operator to receive the highest possible standard of health and safety protocols from Lloyd’s Register.”
Saga has experienced a spike in interest from its customers looking for once-in-a-lifetime adventures: in the week following the news of successful trials of the Covid vaccine in the UK, there was a 78-per-cent increase in traffic to Saga’s Traveller’s World website pages.