Emperor takes ‘no-deposit’ initiative

With travelling divers naturally reluctant to pay deposits on holidays they can no longer be sure will go ahead because of the COVID-19 pandemic, one long-established dive operator says it has taken steps to remove the risk.

Emperor Divers has a large fleet of liveaboards operating in the Red Sea, Maldives and Indonesia, and its simple solution is to allow guests to hold spaces on its boats without needing to pay a deposit.

Whether booking direct with Emperor or through a preferred tour operator, it says it is prepared to hold any available date from 1 July, 2020 onwards.

Once the current travel bans have been lifted and “normal service returns”, it says that guests will be required to pay a deposit of £180 per person and the final balance at the usual time. Should the guest decide not to proceed with the booking at that point for any reason, Emperor undertakes to cancel the place at no cost.

There could still be pressure to find a desired slot: “Because our lives have been ‘paused’ by COVID-19, many 2020 bookings have rebooked for late 2020 and into 2021,” warns Emperor.

But it says it hopes that its offer will help divers to be able to plan ahead and hold a place without risk.