Hays Travel reinstates ‘peace of mind guarantee’

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 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.”

Note: This article was updated on April 23, 2026.