Saga Holidays has experienced a 127-per cent increase in the number of booking inquiries to its contact centres in the week after the UK government released a report suggesting that international travel can be resumed from May 17.

The increase was measured against the same period two weeks before, Saga said in a press release.

“We’d already received a surge in inquiries when the vaccine roll-out started and in the week since the Government’s announcement around international travel, we’ve seen another spike from travellers keen to secure holidays,” Nick Stace, CEO of Saga Travel, said.

“Our European river cruises are also experiencing high levels of demand, and we’re looking forward to launching our latest ship, the Spirit of the Rhine, later this year,” he added.

According to the press release, Saga’s website saw the largest spike in online searches on Saturday, Apr. 10 – up 43 per cent from the Saturday before.

Cruise searches have focused on the launch of the tour operator’s modern boutique ships the Spirit of Discovery and the brand new Spirit of Adventure in summer 2021, of which all but one are now sold out, Saga said.

The tour operator also said that it had already seen evidence that cruises are a popular option for travellers as bookings were up 20 per cent for 2021-22 and 2022-23 combined even before the government announcement.

The Global Travel Taskforce published its findings on the potential resumption of travel for UK residents from May 17 to April 9. The resumption would be done under a traffic light system.

Customers that book a 2021 Saga holiday before the end of April are covered by a Reassurance Promise, which enables them to amend their travel plans for no fee if they wish to, the tour operator said.

Saga also offers a price promise, which means that should they ever reduce their prices or bring in a new special offer after a customer has booked, they will calculate the difference and pass the value of the saving back.

The tour operator is asking all guests to have both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 14-days in advance of travel. Saga Holidays also said that it will monitor the COVID-specific requirements of each destination and is committed to communicating those details to customers ahead of departure.

“Our customers want something really special and trust Saga to look after them – they know their wellbeing and enjoyment are our top priorities. It’s why we require our customers to have received both doses of the vaccine, and that’s just one of a number of stringent measures in place to keep our guests safe,” Stace said.