Jim Forward, chief commercial officer of the escorted tour and river cruise operator, said customers travelling in July and August would have their arrival test paid for.
The news is the latest this week from operators around testing – with Kuoni promising to launch Covid test holiday packages and Sunvil offering free PCR tests on trips to Portugal
He said Riviera would only be operating holidays to countries listed green on the government’s traffic light system and “certainly won’t attempt” to offer any amber destinations.
The company currently has plans in place to restart river cruises on the Douro in July as well as tours in Portugal, Madeira and Iceland – with hopes of adding to its programme when the traffic light list is next updated and “be in full swing” by September.
Forward said he believed covering the cost of testing would help stop consumer unease around the price of testing and the procedure.
“We recognised our guests have concerns about how testing is going to work, so as well as paying for it, what we’re offering is to hold people’s hands and help them through the process.
“For our customer group [over-50s] it’s really important we help them. What we’re trying to do is invest in getting the British public up and running and travelling again.
“I’m a firm believer that the more we see people out enjoying holidays, the more we will all want to go on holiday.”
Riviera will also operate its “holiday happiness guarantee” – which promises to bring customers home at Riviera’s expense if there is a problem with their holiday that cannot be resolved.
