Holiday rip-offs begin..
STAYCATION holiday firms have been accused of trying to make a “quick buck” out of desperate Brits.
A booking surge followed PM Boris Johnson’s announcement that self-catering trips in holiday lets will be allowed from April 12.
But many prices for breaks have doubled, with some costing over £1,000, according to customers.
Sykes Cottages, one of the biggest self-catered staycation providers, has been accused of trying to take advantage of families.
Alistair Handyside, of South West Tourism Alliance, accused the firm of looking to make “a quick buck”.
He said: “If you look at what some of the large agents are charging for cottages, they are increasing their prices dramatically. I have seen that some are doubling the prices and that is not uncommon.”
People also complained on Facebook, claiming huge price rises from Sykes for cottage stays.
One woman wrote: “The cottage we booked for last April – 2020 – was £580 per week. This year – 2021 – same week £1,010.”
Sykes denied the claims, saying prices are set automatically according to availability and demand.
A spokesman said: “We have not changed our approach to pricing and our holiday prices are and will always be competitive.”
Meanwhile, Awaze, the owner of Cottages.com, said it sold a record 10,000 breaks in a day. Website Pitchup took one booking every seven seconds in the past 24 hours.
Mr Johnson warned foreign hols could be off limits until May 17 at the earliest. And hotels and B&BS in the UK also cannot open until then.
Brits hoping for boozy breaks to Magaluf this summer have been told by Majorcan tourism bosses there will be “no party boats, pub crawls or happy hours”.
The clampdown was announced as London’s Heathrow Airport revealed it lost £2billion last year.