Get online to grab a sunshine bargain
START your holiday search engines! We will almost certainly get the green light for sunshine holidays this week and it’s going to be an online bargain bonanza.
With air bridges to the likes of Spain, Greece and Italy due to be announced there will be a scramble to grab the best deals to the Med, Aegean and Adriatic. Yes, many families will want to play it safe with their travels as the coronavirus pandemic slowly subsides and book a
NIGEL THOMPSON,
staycation (which is, of course, a holiday in one of the best destinations on the planet).
But we Brits do love an overseas sunshine bargain and there is going to be some great value out there to tempt us to get on that plane or ferry from July 4. It’s a shame the Algarve may not be included in the air bridges, as that’s always a favourite for UK travellers. But there will still be plenty on offer to mainland Spain, the Balearics (try Menorca rather than Majorca, where demand will be high), the Canaries and the Greek Islands.
I’ve seen £131 per person for a week’s self-catering in Zante and £205 each on room-only in the Costa del Sol, both for August with flights – a real steal. So get your passports, factor 50, masks and hand sanitiser ready. Happy holiday hunting!
Consumer Editor, Chief Reporter in Paris, in Portugal,
Costa Brava and
TOURISM chiefs across Europe are calling on Brits to splash the cash and travel to save their summers.
Towns and cities across France, Spain and Portugal are begging for tourists to return, as the Continent reopens to visitors after months of lockdown.
With the Government due to announce the countries it has struck air bridge deals with on Wednesday, hoteliers, mayors and industry chiefs are begging Brits to return to holiday hotspots this summer.
Nicolas Langlois, the mayor of Dieppe, in Normandy, northern France, said: “The lack of people coming on ferries from England has had a major effect on our economy. From hotels, bars, restaurants and shops, we cannot wait until the Brits return. Some businesses will close unless they come back very soon.”
The town’s local paper last week had a headline saying, “We miss our dear Englishmen very much”, in a report about the struggling tourism industry.
Ministers have yet to confirm which countries will form part of the air bridge system but Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Spain and Italy are expected to be included. A recent spike in Covid-19 infections in Portugal has ruled it out for the time being, while there is also uncertainty around Croatia, Turkey and Malta.
But Algarve industry chiefs in southern Portugal, are pleading for our return. Eliderico Viegas, president of the Algarve’s Association for Hotels and Tourism, said: “The British are our main market. We are counting on them to rise to this new challenge and new opportunity.”
Hoteliers in Spain, who have had swathes of cancellations due to the crisis, are urging us to fly out. The country is the most popular destination for Brits, with almost 16 million going each year.
Expat Robert Webster, 52, runs Hotel Arce in Galicia, north-west Spain. Robert, from Cheltenham, said: “We have one message to British tourists – you can have a fantastic holiday, so get over here to Spain. People are genuinely excited to be opening their doors. For tourists, the only major difference will be having to wear a facemask when around other people.”
Britain’s largest independent travel agent, Hays Travel, reported a “flurry” of people booking foreign holidays since the air bridge plans were revealed. Owner Irene Hays said: “The phones have not stopped ringing. It has been remarkable.”
TUI, Britain’s biggest tour operator,
MAYOR OF DIEPPE BEGS US TO GO ON HOLIDAYS
Temperature test at hotel
Brit Robert Webster at hotel in Spain
The quiet beaches of Benidorm, Spain Pictures: JULIAN HAMILTON
said: “We’re confident they’re now finalising air bridge agreements, which will effectively save summer for Brits.”
Under the Government’s traffic-light air bridge system, countries will be rated green, amber or red, depending on the prevalence of coronavirus. The Government’s 14-day quarantine will be axed for countries rated green or amber.
Home Secretary Priti Patel yesterday
Hotels, bars and shops cannot wait for Brits to return to France.