Cheap Spanish Getaways Could Soon Be a Thing of the Past
Prices could rise by as much as ten percent in 2018, thanks to an influx of tourists who are shunning North African and Turkish resorts over terrorism fears.
The head of one of Britain’s leading tour operators has warned that travellers can expect holiday prices in Spain to rise considerably in 2018.
Thomas Cook Chief Executive Peter Fankhauser told the BBC last week that holiday prices were set to increase because of the weaker pound and rising tourist numbers, as many people shun resorts in North Africa and Turkey over terrorism fears, opting instead to book a holiday to Spain.
“We have not enough beds for all the demand,” Fankhauser told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, adding “We will have about a five to ten percent price increase in Spain for sure.”
Fankhauser also pointed to the weaker pound as a reason for the increase in holiday prices.
Spain is by far the most popular holiday destination for British travellers, who are drawn to the country’s beautiful beaches and its popular islands such as Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza in the Balearic Islands and Gran Canaria and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
The country welcomed a record-breaking 75 million tourists in 2016 alone.
Spain has been seen as a safe holiday destination compared to many resorts in North Africa and Turkey, which have faced increased security fears after a series of terror attacks.
A gun attack in the Tunisian resort of Sousse in June 2015 left 38 people dead, including 30 British holidaymakers. Holiday bookings to Tunisia plummeted in the aftermath of the attack, when the British Foreign Office updated its travel advice warning British citizens against travelling to the country.
Security fears have also seen Brits shun formally popular resorts in Egypt and Turkey in favour of Spain, which will likely push up prices in 2018.
But as the cost of Spanish holidays rises, price-conscious travellers might begin trickling back to North African resorts; in July 2017 the Foreign Office revised its travel advice on visiting Tunisia, paving the way for travel operators to start selling holidays again from February 2018.
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