Hawke said Cosmos and Avalon would use the UK government’s traffic light system to inform its decision making, taking into account its plans to review the green, amber and red lists every three weeks.
"Our intention will be to operate our tours and cruises, where operationally viable, to destinations on the green and amber lists which are accepting international visitors," said Hawke.
Hawke said the brands were studying "a range of criteria" to inform decisions on which tours and cruises are viable, and which may have to be delayed.
"Throughout the coming months, as UK and international travelling resumes, we will be aiming to balance guests’ desire to get away with our operational ability to deliver a holiday as close as possible to what they have booked," said Hawke.
"We will be making decisions on travelling at a much later point than would be ideal, but we are remaining flexible and aiming to make holidays happen if at all possible."
Acknowledging the inevitable inconvenience, he asked customers to "remain flexible" and be understanding of the fact the situation could change at short notice.
He said the brands’ overarching aim was to "retain every opportunity to deliver holidays after such a long period of not being able to go anywhere".
"It feels like the time is nearing for when we will be able to resume our holiday operations and start to take people away," he said.
Hawke added that while it was Cosmos and Avalon’s belief that some form of vaccine passport or certification would come into play in the summer, guests would for the foreseeable future be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or test negative for the infection, prior to travel.
"Our goal remains to provide holidays wherever possible and, where not possible, to provide guests with alternative travel dates or options, or to offer a letter of credit so customers can book something at a later date if so desired," said Hawke, adding the brands’ focus was to ensure it was doing the right thing for guests and their travel plans.
