Identical holidays -- but we pay hundreds more than the Germans and French
BRITISH holidaymakers are paying hundreds of pounds more for holidays than families across Europe when they book exactly the same deals online.
A Mail on Sunday investigation has found prices listed on British websites can be vastly higher than those on equivalent sites in Germany, France or other countries.
Last night, experts and consumer groups hit out at what they called ‘rank profiteering’ from holiday companies. Marc Gander, of the Consumer Action Group, said: ‘British people will be very surprised to find this is happening – it’s just an opportunity for these companies to make extra profits by treating them as cash cows.’
Our investigation found camping holiday website Eurocamp charges British tourists £2,495 for a twoweek holiday next August in a three-bedroom mobile home in the resort of Berny-Riviere in Picardy. A German tourist would pay just £1,472 for exactly the same break – a £1,023 difference.
The company, which has more than 160 resorts, also lists on its UK website a seven-night holiday in August next year in a two-bedroom mobile home at the Norcenni Girasole Club in Tuscany for £1,210. However, the same holiday is being sold on its German site for £979.
Meanwhile, French company Club Med charges two British adults and two children £2,936 for seven nights in December in the Alpine resort of L’Alpe d’Huez La Sarenne. A French family would pay just £2,586 – a saving of £350.
Transport too can be cheaper. On its UK website, Direct Ferries is offering return tickets from Dover to Calais with P&O between August 19 and 26 for £180, while its DirectFerries.fr site has the same tickets for £147.
Elsewhere, sailing holiday company Sunsail offers seven nights on a three-cabin yacht in Greece in August from £1,260 – but German or French sailors will pay just £1,007. Last month, the EC announced it was investigating Disneyland Paris for charging visitors from the UK and Germany more to visit the park than those from France. A week for a family of four from the end of August is on the UK website for £5,753 but the same week is priced at £4,946 on the French site – a saving of over £800.
Eurocamp said: ‘Our prices are in line with the demand we see in each of our source markets.’
DirectFerries failed to comment.