27 September 2022, 07:10
Saga announces plans to innovate the over-50s holiday market
Innovation focus from Saga will see a revamp of the over-50s travel market with new, bespoke ‘Tailor-Made Travel by Saga’ service, the development of “experienced gap year” trips, multi-generational holidays, and a further roll-out of Saga’s premium jet tours.
September 27, 2022, London: Saga today announces plans to innovate the market for over-50s travel, giving customers more choice, flexibility and experiences than ever before, something the brand’s research has shown is very much in demand.
In addition to a new ‘Tailor-Made Travel by Saga’ product that launches today, the operator is also developing exciting new product areas, including “experienced gap year” trips with an emphasis on travelling with purpose and making a positive impact on communities visited, and multi-generational holidays that will enable families to be able to travel well together.
The plans, revealed today alongside Saga’s half-year financial results which show a rejuvenated Cruise and Travel business driving a return to profitability, is based on research that shows there are 15.8m travellers over the age of 50 who take, on average, 3.3 trips a year – that’s 52 million holidays.
The plans also build on the huge success of Saga’s premium jet tour programme, its first innovation under new leadership, which has only been on sale for two months and is already 70 per cent sold. The operator now intends to introduce a further series of jet tours.
The current offering allows customers to experience a range of fascinating destinations in a luxurious and hassle-free way, with no flight longer than five hours (enough time to relax and enjoy a world-class meal) directly from one destination to the next, and an airport experience that mirrors that of travelling on a private jet.
The ‘Tailor-Made Travel by Saga’ product launching today will join the successful escorted tours and hosted hotel business, with the aim of enabling travellers to create the perfect itinerary to suit them and add on options that will enhance their trip, all backed up by the high-standards and quality they expect from Saga.
Today, destinations across *Asia and the United Arab Emirates have gone live and over the next three months more destinations will be added. Saga’s research showed a real desire for travellers to be able to customise their trip so the operator will be introducing a range of travel experiences including worldwide hotels, independent and private touring options, rail journeys, cruise and stay, and road trips.
A range of the products will be showcased on the new-look website to help inspire and inform travellers and over the coming months customers will have the option to book a selection of the tailor-made experiences on the site too, as they currently do with tours and hotels.
Guests can also benefit from an enhanced departure service, enabling them to select options such as door-to-door chauffeur transfers, access to a range of UK airport lounges and fast track security where available, plus new flash sale offers delivering incredible value holidays and amazing travel experiences in the off-peak seasons.
John Constable, CEO of Saga Travel Group, said:
“Our research has shown that our customers are keen to travel, explore and have new and different experiences with a brand they trust for quality, service and expertise. They know what they want and what they don’t.
“We are in a great position to respond to that and innovate the market, which we’re doing through our new ‘Tailor-Made Travel by Saga’ service, our plans to introduce experienced gap-years, multi-generational holidays and, thanks to its huge success, a further roll-out of our premium jet tours.”
Euan Sutherland, Saga’s Group CEO, said:
“Travel lies at the heart of the Saga brand and we are really excited about the plans that have been developed by John and his team. We are building THE travel company for the experienced generation based around a dynamic, digital offering that will allow us to win a greater share of a market with more than 52m trips a year.”
Research conducted by the company found that people assumed Saga holidays were all about European breaks and package tours, and respondents were surprised and delighted with the plan for new ‘Tailor-Made Travel by Saga service’ with its far-flung destinations, range of experiences and opportunity to enhance their experience where it matters to them.
This, combined with other new products being built especially for them such as multi-generational travel, and the operator being recognised as a trusted, experienced and safe brand, makes for a compelling reason for travellers over 50 to book with Saga.
Ends
For further information, please contact sagatravel@headlandconsultancy.com
Images for download are below or here on Saga's Newsroom.
Notes to editors
Notes to editors:
- Saga will announce more details around the multi-generational travel, experienced gap-years and premium jet tours in due course.
- *Destinations that have gone live today for ‘Tailor-Made Travel with Saga’ include Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, India, Thailand, Vietnam/Indochina, Malaysia/Borneo, Singapore and Indonesia being added to Saga’s stable of destinations. Within those destinations, new travel experiences include: sightseeing tours of India’s iconic ‘Golden Triangle’ with a private driver-guide; exploring the desert sand dunes of Dubai’s Conservation Reserve by vintage Land Rover; arriving by speedboat into a luxurious and secluded beach resort in Thailand; swimming in the world’s tallest infinity pool 75 storeys above Dubai’s futuristic skyline; discovering the hidden villages of Northern Thailand in a personal converted tuk tuk; an authentic cooking class on a food and culture journey of Vietnam; spotting Komodo dragons in Indonesia, and visiting an orang-utan rehabilitation centre in the jungles of Borneo.
