Rush to book summer hol sends prices soaring 59%

HOLIDAY bookings – and prices – are surging after Boris Johnson unveiled his roadmap for lifting lockdown, amid fears Britain will run out of available accommodation this summer.

Airlines and travel operators have witnessed a rush to bag holidays abroad – which should be back on the cards from May 17 – with bookings and enquiries both rocketing.

And people taking breaks in the UK this June can expect prices to be up by 59 per cent year-on-year, according to short-term rental property site Guesty.

Staycations at holiday lets should be given the go-ahead from April 12, so long as they do not involve different households sharing accommodation.

But B&Bs and hotels will have to wait until May 17 at the earliest.

And the Holiday Home Association warned that, with overseas trips appearing more vulnerable to virus setbacks than domestic ones: ‘There may not be enough accommodation in England to satisfy demand.’

The group’s boss Martin Sach said Mr Johnson’s map was a ‘meandering footpath’ when the progress made against the virus ‘justifies an A-road’.

EasyJet revealed bookings by UK customers for the summer are more than four times higher than last week, while its holiday division has seen demand soar sevenfold.

Boss Johan Lundgren said: ‘We have consistently seen that there is pent-up demand for travel.’

Tui recorded a sixfold increase in bookings – making Monday its busiest day in more than a month – with Greece, Spain and Turkey the most in-demand.

Jet2.com and its holiday arm Jet2holidays said bookings were seven times higher. And online travel firm Thomas Cook saw a 75 per cent rise in traffic.

Guesty said average nightly prices for June were up from £110 to £175.

Its boss Vered Raviv Shwarz expects a further surge as millions frustrated by lockdown grab the chance to satisfy an urge for ‘revenge travel’.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said the effectiveness of vaccines against new virus strains would be crucial in determining when international travel curbs are eased. ‘We do have to protect against these new variants,’ he said.