Milestone Letter from CCO

Milestone Letter from CCO

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Last updated:
13.11.2020

The pandemic had changed our lives and took much of our freedoms. It forced us to stay in our homes and pause all the plans we had ahead. But this week, on November 9th, the world had reached a first major milestone in the fight against the virus, with the news of an effective vaccine developed. As Pfizer CEO noted, “It is a great day for science and humanity,” and I cannot agree more with that.

Firebird Tours COO - Ivan Shirokov in Altai
Ivan Shirokov, CCO at Firebird Tours in the Altai Mountains

The first reaction to the great news of the vaccine was, of course, to pick up the phone and tell all about it to our clients and partners, to share my excitement that difficult 2020 is coming to an end, and 2021 will be a year when we are getting back to normal. We all eagerly await to start exploring again. I hear it every day from our travelers and partners all over the world. And finally, we can start dreaming and planning our next adventures with justified confidence.

But it is, of course, too early to claim a victory, and it will take months ahead to have vaccines produced and distributed on a large scale. Yet, it is a start. A start of a return to normality, confidence in the planning of our future, and a stimulus to start dreaming about exploring the world again.

Feel confident
If plans change, you can change your booking without incurring a fee or cancel to receive a voucher that can be used for any of our programs

Meanwhile, we focus on the things we can control. We are preparing for a year of the opened world with improved programs and stronger safety protocols:

  • we selected hotels that provide the highest degree of health and cleaning protocols,
  • we secured a fleet of bigger, more spacious transportations which are regularly cleaned and disinfected,
  • all of our professional local guides and drivers will take regular tests before conducting tours for our travelers.

We want our customers to feel comfortable and confident when planning their journeys with our flexible policy "Book now, Change later." If plans change, you can change your booking without incurring a fee or cancel to receive a voucher that can be used for any of our programs. Additionally, we developed an optional refund assurance program, which provides a full refund of paid funds up to 45 days prior to departure.

It will take time before we all get back to normal. But we are prepared to weather the storm and welcome you to explore this beautiful world once again.

With best wishes,

Ivan Shirokov
CCO