Holiday prices slashed by half

Week in sun just £161 after virus hit demand

TV location Port Isaac and, inset, actor Joe

TRAVEL firms have slashed the costs of holiday packages by more than half to lure back customers stuck at home during the pandemic.

A getaway to the Algarve now costs 54 per cent less than in January last year, the holiday comparison website TravelSupermarket found.

And seven-night stays for two in sunny southern Portugal are available from just £161 per person.

Industry experts put plummeting prices in Portugal down to the drop in demand after the discovery of new variants of coronavirus in Brazil, with which it has historical ties.

Holidays to Crete, the website’s most popular destination, are 10 per cent cheaper with an all-inclusive seven-night package for two from £236 per person.

The Greek isle is followed in popularity by Tenerife, where prices are 13 per cent down, and Majorca which will cost trippers nine per cent less than in 2020.

Online searches made from January 1 to 18 for holidays between May and October also showed that travellers were anxious to jet off to Dubai, Barbados and Paris.

TravelSupermarket’s expert

Emma

Coulthurst said the rollout of virus vaccines has given holiday bookings a boost recently.

She said: “People are dreaming of a life beyond their sofa and kitchen and bedroom.

“We’ve seen more people searching for a holiday over the last weekend on the back of the news of the progress of the vaccine rollout and mass vaccination centre openings.

“As the vaccination programme gathers pace and there is more certainty of a return to the old normal, demand and prices are likely to pick up.”

She said that May and August were currently the most popular months for customers to lock in a short-haul break, such as to Spain and Turkey.

Ms Coulthurst added: “We’re also seeing people getting excited about long haul [flights], especially from September onwards, with New York and Las Vegas at the top of Brits’ fun escape lists.”

Sales of travel insurance policies have increased significantly among older holidaymakers, who are among the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccination, a report by the website showed.

Ms Coulthurst added: “Now is the time to choose from the widest holiday range and get the holiday which ticks the most boxes for you.

“Demand is not what it would normally be so you can pick up some low prices.”