Get your sun on the cheap – all thanks to Brexit!
Prices are dropping and we’ve got all the best bargains
Brexit isn’t all bad. There are benefits to be had from Britain’s misfortune on this side of the Irish Sea – and one of them is cheaper holidays. We are lumped into the same market as British holidaymakers by most travel companies – and booked into much the same resorts. The good news is that prices to many of these resorts have been slashed by travel companies yet again, partly due to Brexit. Seven nights in the sun can cost up to 38% less than it did last year, a new study shows.
And we can cash in on this trend if we pick the right destination.
Brexit uncertainty, alongside a more competitive holiday market and the aftermath of the slow end to last summer, has resulted in year-on-year package holiday price cuts to a number of European beach locations this summer, according to Travel Supermarket.
Many package prices to these destinations have seen huge reductions, with some locations such as The Algarve costing from as little as €145 for a week if you look carefully.
Tanya Airey of Sunway explains: ‘We have definitely seen a shift towards holidays to Turkey and Morocco this year and it is really due to the great value in these destinations. This shift has impacted Spain and Portugal and with less British booking because of Brexit, prices have fallen.’ Current Sunway deals include:
n The Algarve in Portugal travelling on May 4 for €299;
n Salou in Spain travelling May 25 for €399;
n Lanzarote in the Canaries on May 18 for €380.
Emma Coulthurst, travel commentator for Travel Supermarket, said: ‘Brexit is causing summer package holiday prices to Europe to drop.
‘Some British holidaymakers say that they don’t want to book until they know the outcome of Brexit, while others say they want to avoid Europe altogether.
‘It is not all about Brexit, though. There are a few other factors at play.
‘The return of holidaymakers to Turkey and Tunisia has created a much more competitive holiday market.
‘In addition, the slow end to last summer for the industry, due to a heatwave, is affecting how holidays are priced.
‘Companies don’t want to be left with stock and are pricing to encourage people to book earlier.’
With the help of data from Travel Supermarket, the UK edition of the Mail on Sunday has revealed the top 10 European beach destinations
with the biggest year-on-year discounts for British holidaymakers.
In theory, these cuts should be passed on to Irish holidaymakers too. In practice you may have to work hard to root them out.
We checked online for the cheapest Irish holidays to the same resorts. Surprisingly, we found even cheaper holidays from here to the Costa Blanca, Corfu and Majorca.
The Algarve in Portugal was around the same price – as low as €145 here for a week in the sun – and Crete was only slightly dearer than the cheapest UK prices.
However, move away from the most standard of destination, to Sardinia, the Cote D’Azur or Kefalonia or Zante in Greece, and the Irish pay more. Budget Holidays seemed good on price. Loveholidays.ie had cheap offers too and, importantly, offered a search facility that enables you to look at flexible dates over the summer, which some other holiday sites seem to lack.
We also asked the Irish Association of Travel Agents to provide prices to back up the online search but they had not replied as we went to press.