Travel Agents are reporting UK holiday prices have crashed 70% to Amber listed countries.
Travel Agents had plenty of time to speak today as the UK receives its hottest day of the year so far.
Phone lines and website bookings are totally non-active as travel agents sit at their desks twiddling their thumbs despite price reductions of 70%.
Whilst the holiday market falls apart with agents handling cancellations and rescheduling far more than bookings, despite prices being slashed, the offers don’t appear to be tempting punters.
Reality clearly is setting into the British public that leaving the UK in 2021 will be expensive with all the additional related costs and ‘Just too much hassle’.
Once again, airlines today are taking another purge on cancelling flights across Europe now that it’s clear that the UK’s holiday industry will not take place this summer as expected.
” The market is totally flat; the only incoming all weekend is re-schedules and cancellations; being on the sales desk right now is the most boring job in the world.” explained Bristol-based travel agent Neil Mitchell.
“Commission is down the drain personally, and we are sat here twiddling our thumbs, when the phone rings, you just want to hear those words ‘I want to book…..’ but they never come, it’s always a cancellation.
“Prices are at the lowest ever, but it’s making no difference, and you can’t blame the punters; I wouldn’t myself want to go to the likes of Spain right now if I’m honest.
“Only this week I had a client from Spain wishing to fly home to Wales, in total it took him 3 different booked flights and £500 in test fees for just trying to fly out of Malaga, nobody wants to go through that, he’s now in self-isolation for 10 days, and they are daily calling him to check his location.
“Who wants to go through that?” he questioned before saying “Flash Sale is Flash Off, is the true reaction”
Meanwhile, UK hospitality suppliers are relieved.
The relief comes as holidaymakers appeared to be hedging their bets, booking overseas holidays as well as reserving UK holiday destinations.
” It’s a big relief,” said holiday cottage owner Aubrey Parsons, ” We were concerned we could just be sat with non-refundable deposits but that hasn’t been the case, thankfully, we are fully booked out for the whole year now, clearly the clients see no advantage of going abroad this year” he finished.