Summer holiday bargains
Travellers wait to grab last minute deals
June 22, 2009
UK holiday-makers are holding out for last minute travel bargains this summer, and nabbing some great deals.
It seems that a worldwide recession, weak pound and forecasts of a stonking British summer have led to spare seats and empty beds around the world for the peak annual holiday period.
Examples of some fantastic deals include seven nights in Turkey based on four sharing flying from Gatwick at the end of June for £189 per person with Co-operative Travel.
First Choice is offering seven nights on the Costa Dorada based on four sharing for £266 per person, departing from Glasgow mid-August .
With a whopping 47 per cent off the usual price, James Villas is selling seven nights in an Andalucian villa including flights for £299 per person (£1197 total) flying from Gatwick at the end of August.
A slowly-rising pound is also causing a late boom in bookings, according to The Co-operative Travel, the UK’s largest independent travel retailer.
The company's analysis of over 380,000 holidays shows that bookings to Florida increased by 49 per cent at the beginning of June compared to the same time last year.
During this same period, the pound rose in value against the dollar from $1.48 to $1.65. Bookings had been down by eight per cent year-on-year at the start of May.
Trevor Davis, Director of Retail Distribution at The Co-operative Travel, said:
“Understandably the holiday market is much more price sensitive than in recent years, but still this responsiveness to exchange rates is remarkable. If the pound continues to rally against foreign currencies, we believe this upward trend will continue.”
Augistin Garcia, head of promotions for the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK, believes that the strength of the Euro has contributed to his country's declining visitor numbers, and predicts that UK holiday-makers will return:
“We have confidence in the late market and Spain still has the ingredients which make it ideal for the UK”.
Late deals are perfect if you are flexible with your date and destination, and you don't want to risk the great British summer letting you down at the last minute.
Written by: Maxine Clarke
Don't forget, you can make great savings by pre-booking your airport parking with Holiday Extras, even if you book the same day as travelling.
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