Summer 2021 Update

When it comes to beach holidays, we’re raring to go. We know you’re ready too, and we can’t wait to reunite you with the sun, sea and sand. There’s just something we need to get off our chests:

We’re taking holidays off sale for June, July and August 2021 until further notice.

This is a temporary decision. We’ll be back on sale for summer as soon as we’re happy that everything really is better – at the airport, in the hotel and, of course, on the beach.

For now, things are just a bit uncertain. From testing to traffic lights, quarantine periods and local restrictions, we want to know a bit more about what going on holiday is like, and how likely your holiday is to go ahead before we take any new bookings.

Plenty of other travel companies will be more than happy to take your money, even though they’re not sure yet what the additional costs or inconvenience might be. We’re not.

To quote Simon Cooper, our CEO: “There’s nothing we want more than to be able to send customers on holiday, but with the current number of unknowns we don’t think that now is the right time for customers to book new holidays departing in the next few months.”

Basically, there’s too much unknown for us to take new bookings with the confidence that they will go ahead, or for us to know the potential inconvenience or extra costs that customers might face. We want to put our customers first, and minimise the number of holidays that need to be rearranged or refunded due to the holiday being cancelled.

If you already have a booking with us, and are due to travel over the next few months, your holiday may still go ahead as planned. And if you choose to go we’ll do everything we can to make sure your holiday runs as smoothly as possible.

That being said, we understand if you’d rather wait until things are a bit clearer, with fewer restrictions and a bit less to think about. So, we’ll happily work with you to change the dates on your booking to a time that suits you best, and we’re waiving our On the Beach admin fees. Simply log into the My Bookings section of the website and send us a message – we’ll do the rest.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us throughout the last year or so. Here’s to the beach – hopefully we’ll all be there soon.

For more information please visit our COVID-19 FAQs page.

Know before you go CTA banner. Covid-19 testing requirements

We have taken the decision to stop selling holidays for June, July and August 2021, until further notice. We don’t know enough yet about how the traffic light system will work in practice, and it doesn’t currently give any certainty or clarity beyond a three week window. In the coming weeks and months - until vaccination programmes across Europe and beyond are further along in their rollout - it is very likely that we will see regular fluctuations in destinations’ traffic light classifications, and so there is likelihood of disruption or even cancellations for the many customers who want to book more than three weeks in advance.

We believe that now is not the right time to book a new holiday, however we will be keeping a very close eye on everything that happens at home and abroad and will be reviewing when we put holidays back on sale in line with this.

Currently there is too much uncertainty for us to take on any new bookings with full confidence that they will go ahead. We are also aware of the potential inconvenience or incremental costs that customers might experience or incur if their holiday experience were to be disrupted. This is a temporary decision and we will review it regularly, and in line with Government updates.

We are in the process of contacting all customers with imminent departures to outline their options. Where customers’ holidays are going ahead and they wish to continue with their booking as planned, then we will of course support this. For any customers who are unsure about travelling at this time we are on hand to help change the dates on their booking to a time when they might feel more comfortable, free of any On the Beach amendment fees.

Should a holiday be cancelled, we will be in touch and issue a cash refund within 14 days of cancellation.

Over the coming weeks and months we will continue to keep a very close eye on everything that happens at home and abroad. We will be reviewing our position following the next Government update at the end of May. We are very keen to get people back on the beach, but only when we have the confidence that holidays will go ahead and that customers are able to make an informed decision.

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