Brits looking to book summer holidays are being warned against “being taken advantage of”.
The claims come ahead of tonight’s Summer Holidays: What’s The Truth? Tonight special on ITV.
It will state that prices for UK summer holidays have risen by a whopping 41% on last year.
And that the tourism industry will “take the opportunity” to put up their prices.
So what’s been said about summer holidays?
Tonight will investigate the rising price of staycations.
Brits don’t have much option other than to holiday at home at the moment.
What you don’t want is people holidaying at home and feeling they’re being taken advantage of.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hinted overseas travel could be allowed from May 17, but this has not yet been confirmed.
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As such, demand for UK staycations is rising – as are prices, Tonight revealed.
Patricia Yates from the national tourism agency VisitBritain, told Tonight: “What you don’t want is people coming and holidaying at home and feeling they’re being taken advantage of.”
She said she is seeing realistic pricing “for the most part”, but that the industry is on its knees after months of closure.
Brits being ‘gazzumped’ for holiday lets
The show also spoke to holiday letting firm boss Rowena Owen and she revealed people have been trying to “gazzump the guests we’ve already got”.
She said: “We’ve been approached by guests asking to pay double the value of the property in order to get in on the property, to gazzump the guests we’ve already got.
“I’ve never heard of in all my years in holiday letting.”
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With so much uncertainty about overseas travel, and the cost of required COVID-19 tests, the UK has seen a stay-at-home booking bonanza.
New figures given to Tonight show that compared with last year, bookings are up by more than three quarters in July.
This year’s surge in summer demand has affected prices, with the average cost of UK holiday accommodation increasing 41% on last year and 23% more than pre-pandemic levels in 2019 according to Guesty.
An average peak season reservation will now cost £209 per night, compared with £170 before the virus hit.
Tourism industry ‘takes the opportunity’ to hike prices
Elsewhere, after months of closure and huge losses, businesses are planning on “taking the opportunity” to increase their prices.
Greg Munford, who runs Richardson’s Boating Holidays said: “The level of bookings for this season coming will be unprecedented. We have put the prices up on some of our boats for the first time.
“We’ve had to take the opportunity to protect the team, to protect the business moving forward.”
The Tonight programme Summer Holidays: What’s the Truth? airs on ITV tonight (April 17) at 7.30pm.
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