Hays revives ‘peace of mind’ pledge


Juliet Dennis Hays Travel IG Conference


Hays Travel has reinstated the ‘Peace of Mind Guarantee’ it launched during Covid as it predicts the “litmus test” of consumer confidence will be how clients respond to paying summer holiday balances next month. Owner Dame Irene Hays told


this year’s Hays Travel Independence Group Conference the agency was seeking to give customers the confidence to book and pay balances in the knowledge their money was protected as the Iran war continued. She said: “We’ve gone out with


the reassurance message big time and it’s had the desired effect. Business


was up on Saturday (April 18) and Sunday was good too.” “Early shoots of a return to


business” followed the brief reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and although this did not continue into the start of this week, it was the “most encouraging set of figures” for the travel agency in March and April, she added. Despite the brief upturn, Hays


confirmed volatile trading in the last seven weeks had “put paid” to what was set to be another record- breaking financial year to March 31. The Hays Travel Peace of Mind


Guarantee allows customers to amend bookings for free up to 14 days before travel for any reason. For imminent departures, it includes


Trade hails relocation of stranded ships as ‘reassuring moment’


Celestyal Discovery Ella Sagar


Agents have hailed cruise lines’ operational efforts in getting their ships through the Strait of Hormuz when it temporarily reopened last week. Six cruise ships stranded in


the Arabian Gulf since the start of the Iran war successfully began repositioning on April 17 to start their delayed European seasons. Celestyal Discovery was the first


to make it through, followed by Celestyal Journey, MSC Euribia and Tui Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5. Saudi line Aroya Cruises later confirmed its flagship was also en


4 23 APRIL 2026


route from the Gulf to the Red Sea. The strait was closed again by Iran


on April 18 in response to the US government maintaining a blockade on vessels. Tracy Clenshaw, head of


commercial at Fred Olsen Travel, said seeing the ships “finally clear” the strait was “a reassuring moment for the cruise sector”. “After weeks of uncertainty, the


ability to reposition brings a sense of stability back into the market,” she said, adding clearer visibility of operations helped “rebuild confidence” for agents and customers. Iglu Cruise chief commercial


officer Dave Mills agreed, saying the


agency was “delighted” by the news of the ships’ successful navigation. He added Iglu was seeing


“unprecedented demand” for the Mediterranean and that this would be aided by more capacity coming back. InteleTravel UK and Ireland


managing director Tricia Handley-Hughes added she was “pleased and relieved” to see the safe relocation of both Celestyal ships ahead of Mediterranean sailings in May. Protected Trust Services


managing director Emma Collis praised the “coordination and careful routeing” for the vessels to “make


the most of a very narrow window”, putting an end to a 47-day “standstill”. However, she added the situation


in the Strait of Hormuz “has already shifted again”, meaning “no one is pretending it is job done”. Collis said: “All we can do now


is keep watching the situation closely and hope for more positive movement in the days ahead.” Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal


Journey are due to commence their Mediterranean seasons on May 1 and 2 respectively. MSC Euribia will set sail on its first northern Europe itinerary on May 16.


travelweekly.co.uk We’ve gone out


with the reassurance message big time and it’s had the desired effect


a full refund within 14 days if the Foreign Office has advised against travel to a destination. The guarantee comes ahead of


May’s ‘balance due’ dates for many holidays booked for this summer. Hays said: “This [May] will be the litmus test. It will give us an indication about why people are really cancelling.” On Friday, the group said


reasons given for cancellations had changed, with cost-of-living pressures and health reasons cited ahead of


the Middle East situation for the first time since the war started. The reintroduction of the


Hays guarantee came as other agents also sought to reassure holidaymakers following reports about the rising cost of oil and possible jet fuel shortages. Amanda Matthews, Designer


Travel co-owner, posted online that her agency had received “zero notifications about fuel shortages”, with only two airline partners, Air Mauritius and Eva Air, introducing a small fuel surcharge. Emma Collis, managing director


at Protected Trust Services, said: “Agents are doing what they can to reassure clients and staying very positive overall.”


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