Saga has become the first UK tour operator to require its cruise and holiday customers to have received the Covid vaccine in order to travel with them from this summer.
The company, which specializes in travel for people over 50 and has reported an increase in bookings since the vaccination program was announced, is accepting reservations on the condition that customers have received both doses of the vaccine at least 14 days before departure. Passengers will also be required to take a Covid test at the departure terminal.
With the aim of giving customers enough time to receive the required vaccinations, Saga has postponed the start date of its entire holiday program and cruises until May 1, with the first departure of its ocean cruise on May 4.
The company implemented the rules after surveying 2,000 of its customers, with an overwhelming majority in favor of allowing only vaccinated passengers to travel.
“The health and safety of our customers has always been our number one priority at Saga, which is why we have made the decision to require that everyone traveling with us be vaccinated against Covid-19,” Saga said in a statement. “Our customers want the reassurance of the vaccine and also the knowledge that other passengers traveling with them will be vaccinated.”
Saga said this requirement would be in addition to a series of measures to ensure safety on its cruise ships, including pre-departure testing, a reduced maximum number of passengers, improved cleaning, and more medical facilities and staff.
The policy comes as the global aviation body IATA has called on EU governments to create internationally recognized certificates to allow vaccinated individuals to travel freely. IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac told the UNWTO tourism body: “For travel and tourism, testing is the immediate solution to reopening borders. And in the long run, it will involve requiring travelers to be vaccinated.”
