UK breaks may cost more as holiday let charges soar

THE cost of UK breaks could be a third higher this year as Britons look to have their first post-pandemic holidays.

A snapshot investigation by consumer group Which? showed that the cost of holiday lets in some seaside locations had risen by a third on average, while some had soared even higher, fuelled by unprecedented demand.

The Which? research tracked prices of 15 holiday lets listed on Airbnb and Vrbo for last summer when booked in May and June and compared them to the amount charged in February for this summer. It found the price of one let in Brighton had soared by 140 per cent, from £53 a night to £127, with the average increase being 35 per cent. Airbnb said the research was “misleading” and featured “isolated examples” not representative of prices on its platform.

Rory Boland, travel editor at Which?, said: “Many are looking forward to finally going to the seaside this summer, so it’s perhaps not a surprise that high demand has seen prices for some destinations shoot up too.”

Vrbo said that it was a marketplace connecting hosts and holidaymakers and that it was up to the former to set the rental price for their property.

Cyprus is the first country to accept Britons who have had both doses of the Europe-wide vaccine without needing to quarantine themselves or be tested upon arrival from May 1. Savvas Perdios, the deputy tourism minister, said: “It’s a green light for travellers, Cyprus is ready to welcome them this summer.”