War in the Middle East has not hit our cruises, says Saga

Over-50s group Saga said war in the Middle East has not hit its cruises after rival travel providers were forced to divert sailings to avoid disruption in the region.The holidays and insurance group said none of its cruise itineraries had been affected by the war in Iran, adding that it had “minimal exposure to the region”. It said it only offered a small number of Saga holidays in Egypt, Cyprus and Turkey.Mike Hazell, the chief executive of Saga, said the group would not be taking travellers to Jordan this year, although he said this was a “small proportion of our overall travel business”.Mr Hazell added that Saga was also unlikely to be hit by a wider downturn in travel spending, driven by weaker consumer confidence.He said: “We’ve got a different customer base that don’t slow down their travel plans ... Our customers have waited their entire lives. They’ve earned their entire careers, and they now want to enjoy the wealth and the health that they have. They don’t wait for that. They spend and want to enjoy their retirement.”However, Saga said it remained “mindful of the current uncertainty in the Middle East”.It comes after conflict in the region forced a number of cruise liners to cancel sailings, revealing ships had become stuck in the Gulf during blockades of the Strait of Hormuz.During the turmoil, some cruise companies said they were unable to “reposition their ships”. Travel firms that were able to get ships out of the region have reported higher demand for cruises, with people avoiding flights because of the heavy disruption since the conflict began.Last month, the owner of Britain’s largest independent travel agent, Hays Travel, said cruise bookings were up by 11pc for Mediterranean sailings and by 9pc in the Caribbean, compared with the same period in 2025.Overall, however, travel companies have been struggling with weaker demand. Spending on travel fell by 3.3pc in March compared to a year earlier, according to data from Barclaycard. It was the first decline since travel was restricted during the pandemic.Saga’s claims that its affluent, older customer base shielded it from any downturn helped drive its shares to a six-year high on Wednesday. The FTSE 250 company reported a £2.1m profit in the 12 months to the end of January, compared to a £160.2m loss the year before.Saga’s travel business, which has taken increasing importance after it sold its insurance underwriting business to the Belgian company Ageas in 2024, posted an 11pc rise in underlying sales to £504.1m.Saga’s ocean cruise operation reported a 38pc increase in underlying profit before tax to £67.3m. The company offers a variety of cruises for those aged 50 or older, from island-hopping around the Canaries to a tour of the Scandinavian capitals.The company’s holidays business also performed well, with profits up 31pc to £14m. Package holidays range from all-inclusive on the Costa de la Luz in Spain to escorted tours in India’s Golden Triangle.