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A year of travel restrictions sees school holiday prices drop by 52%

A year of travel restrictions sees school holiday prices from the UK drop by as much as -52% vs 2019

For those looking for a last-minute summer holiday, Lanzarote is the best value package holiday destination to travel to between now and the end of August. That is according to an analysis by TravelSupermarket of its 2021 summer outbound pricing data.

The holiday price comparison site has looked at all package holiday price comparison searches made on its site between 1st July and 19th July for seven-night departures (Brits’ favoured summer holiday duration) It has then compared them with searches made during the same pre-pandemic search and departure period in 2019.

Village Uga Canary Islands Lanzarote travel The low-key Canary Island, which languished at 32nd for package holiday prices from the UK during July and August 2019, is now riding high in first place, beating the usual suspects on the Spanish mainland and Greek Islands. In fact, seven-night package prices are on average -43% compared with if you were booking and going at the same time in 2019. Package prices have also plummeted vs. summer 2019 from the UK to Fuerteventura (average of -39%, 34th on price during the same period in 2019), Tenerife (-33%, 24th in 2019) and Gran Canaria (-33%, 25th in 2019). The main Canary Islands take four of the five lowest-price spots for a holiday between now and the end of August. Taking the Canary Islands as a whole, seven-night prices from the UK to there are down, on average, -35%.

Seven-night package escapes to Malta are down 52% making it the largest price fall. Only the double vaccinated can visit from the UK, with no exceptions for children, making family holidays not currently possible. Hence lower demand means lowered prices.

Emma Couthurst from TravelSupermarket says that the lowest priced holiday destinations are surprising until placed in the context of the last year; “Being off the west coast of Africa and a longer flight away, the Canaries tend to be a pricier option than their mainland and Balearic cousins. But many Spanish on the mainland, who would normally travel to the Canaries, are choosing to holiday at home. As a result, it is mostly Canarians holidaying in their own backyard and a small smattering of European. With only a small number of visitors to the Islands, holiday prices have plummeted”.

She adds; “Spain is the most searched destination for an overseas package from the UK on our site and features half of the twenty destinations on the best value list. For the double vaccinated who are travelling without children, green list Malta is also worth considering for a low-priced break. At a country level, Spain, followed by Malta, Greece, Croatia then Portugal offer the best package holiday deals according to average seven-night price”.

In the last week (12th to 18th July), the Canary Islands (jumping from 6th the previous week) was the most popular package holiday search on the price comparison site followed by Crete, Majorca, Corfu and the Balearics. 36% (same as this time in 2019) of all package holiday searches are for Spain, followed by 19% for Greece (vs 10% this time in 2019; this will be because there are fewer destinations to search for, with the likes of normally popular Turkey currently off the table for holidays). This is followed by 5% of package price searches for Croatia, 4% for Portugal and 3.5% for Malta. 44% of all searches are for July or August departures. All-inclusive is the most popular board type (36%) followed by B&B (21%). The most popular package search includes a 4* hotel (44%).

Looking at TravelSupermarket pricing data, these are the top 20 best-value seven-night package holiday options from now until the end of August* (*all package holiday searches made on TravelSupermarket from 01-19.07.21 for seven-night holidays departing 20.07-26.-8.21 vs the same search and departure period in 2019) along with some of their contrasting 2019 pricing positions:-

Lanzarote -43%, 32nd
Fuerteventura -39%, 34th
Tenerife -33%, 24th
Costa Blanca -23%, 3rd
Gran Canaria -33%, 25th
Costa del Sol -20%, 7th
Costa Brava – 7%, 1st
Malta -52%, 51st
Majorca -22%, 17th
Corfu – 20%, 18th
Rhodes -23%
Algarve -14%
Zante -11%
Kos -24%
Madeira -15%
Crete -12%
Ibiza -21%
Kefalonia -7%
Dubrovnik Riviera -16%
Menorca -7%

Drilling right down, these are the resorts offering some of the lowest prices, on average: Kavos in Corfu, Buggiba in Malta, Pefkos and Failiraki and Kremasti in Rhodes, Puerto Rico and Amadores in Gran Canaria, Puerto del Carmen and Playa de Las Pocillos and Costa Teguise in Lanzarote, Puerto de La Cruz, and Puerto de Santiago in Tenerife, Costa Caleta in Fuerteventura, Malaga and Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol, Tigaki in Kos, Santa Ponsa and Cala Ratjada in Majorca and, last but not least, Kavos then Sidari and Messonghi in Corfu.

Top Tips:

If you are looking to book and go, here are some tips and insights from Emma:-

Holidays now tend to be last minute – we are finding that many people are booking and going within a few days.
Look for flexible booking guarantees where you can change your holiday dates without quibbles or fees.
Realistically, if quarantine is not possible for you, it is risky to book. Rules can change.
You cannot get away from the fact that pandemic travelling to and from the UK currently involves more admin and extra costs; you need to book tests for your return. But, with some holidays as much as half the price of 2019, the overall cost of your holiday doesn’t have to be more than you’d normally pay.
TravelSupermarket continues to campaign for free or capped testing and greater clarity on options; the government website is a minefield. But there are some not so expensive options if you shop around. Depending on where you live, there are in-person options (e.g. Heathrow, Barnsley etc.). Alternatively, you can skip the intermediary services and go straight to a lab; e.g. there are at home PCR options, such as Nationwide Pathology, at £40.
Many countries require you to fill in an online health form; you can start a couple of days before and then add to it as you go along so you are not doing everything at the last minute.
The resorts are well-organised for sorting your test before return – many companies will send what is needed to your hotel. Expect to pay around 25euros.
Make sure you know what your travel insurance incudes; all policies should cover you for covid medical cover. You can also get cover for if you are unable to go on holiday because you test positive or have to self-isolate if you come into contact with someone with covid.
Once you’ve arrived...you are likely to find arrival airports and resorts quieter than normal, tourism businesses delighted to see you and less competition for a spot on the beach and at the must-see attractions.

www.travelsupermarket.com