COULD CORONAVIRUS MAKE YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY MORE AFFORDABLE?

■ CHEAPER SHORT-HAUL?

“There’s two ways the ball could bounce on this,” said Eoghan Corry, editor of Travel Extra magazine.

“There will be pent-up demand for travel when this crisis passes. At that stage, there’s a strong possibility that the short-haul airlines will offer a load of cheap fares just to get people used to travelling again — as there’s a great fear of flying at the moment. The other way the ball could bounce is that airlines could cut back the number of routes and flights they offer. This could push up the cost of flights.

“If this happens, flights to popular tourist spots in Spain and Italy could still be cheap after the crisis — but longhaul flights could become much more expensive.”

The crisis could also lead to the permanent closure of hotels in some destinations, which could in turn reduce the choice, and therefore push up the price, of accommodation, said Corry.

“You could see less accommodation capacity in developing countries such as Africa or South America as a result [of this crisis],” said Corry. “This could also happen in regions of Spain or Italy where there isn’t a big tourist tradition.”

■ CHEAPER CRUISES

Many people could be reluctant to book cruises after witnessing passengers stuck on cruise ships during the Covid-19 crisis.

“We could see some of the most dramatic cruise sales ever [as a result],” said Corry.

Indeed, there are already cruise holiday deals for 2021, according to Sarah Slattery, founder of thetravelexpert.ie.

“Also, most of the cruise companies are offering flexible booking options — where you have the ability to cancel or change your booking if you book a cruise within a certain time,” said Slattery.

■ WINTER DEALS

It may be easier to get a good deal on a holiday for this winter than for summer 2021, according to Slattery.

“Upcoming holiday deals may be more winter-focused, as many people are worried they won’t be able to travel in the winter. Travel agents are hoping 2021 will be a bumper year, so they’re afraid to come out with too many offers for summer 2021.

“I’ve heard of a lot of cases where people have tried to change the dates for their holiday from summer 2020 to summer 2021, and found the prices for summer 2021 are much higher.”

So if winter holidays — such as a shopping trip to New York or a family trip to Lapland — are on your bucket list, you could get a deal on such trips.

“There may be deals on city breaks for this November and December or early January and February — but not over the Christmas holiday season,” said Slattery.

■ BUSINESS CLASS

“Business travel will change completely as a result of the crisis,” said Slattery. “We’re so used to conference calls and meetings over Zoom now that business class flights may become cheaper.”