Overseas tour operators are having difficulty suppressing their glee at the end of the supposed ‘barbecue’ British summer.
They were reacting as the Met Office admitted its long range forecast given in April for a blistering August in Britain was now unlikely to transpire.
As much of the country suffered from late July downpours, operators were queuing up to persuade late bookers to head abroad to find the sun.
Thomson, Thomas Cook and youtravel.com led the charge, barely hiding their glee at the prospect of another washout UK summer.
ABTA even got in on the act advising customers to book now to get the best of the late deals on offer and the widest choice of available holidays.
The association reported that some members are seeing an increase in business of up to 30% over the last two weeks and 40% compared to the same time last year. Others are reporting many people looking to travel within a week as they are keen to escape the bad weather.
Thomson said its summer sale, running until midnight on August 3, was offering up to £500 off per couple and free child places.
The operator also launched an online late deal finder where users can search for holidays by departure date, airport, duration and destination.
Thomas Cook CEO of mainstream travel Pete Constanti pushed late deals available in August, leading in at £1,316 with budget brand Sunset in Turkey for seven nights for a family of four departing from Manchester on August 24.
“The summer holidays have only just started and today’s weather update will send many parents into despair as there are still five long weeks before school starts again,” he said.
“Rather than worry about how to fill these long wet days in the UK, our advice is to book a holiday with guaranteed sunshine.
“Top summer hotspots such as Spain, Turkey, Egypt, Greece and Cyprus experience on average less than 6 millimetres of rain in August, compared with the 56 millimetres expected to dampen our summer spirits here in the UK.”
Accommodation-only firm highlighted deals available at a starting price of £29 per person,per night in Tenerife.
Sales and marketing director Paul Riches said: “For months all we’ve heard is that the ‘staycation’ is the thing to do this summer. However the reality is that the erratic British weather and the expense of staying at home for your summer holiday can take their toll on the holiday spirit.
“For most people their summer holiday is the only time they’ll go away this year and for the bulk of them a few days of sunshine is the very least they expect.
“The notion of a holiday in the UK might have been a good idea a few months ago, but the reality is different.
“We’re seeing people booking a week before they go away – this is unheard of in August usually and just shows how desperate people are to get away.”
ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “The weather does affect business and although we know that poor weather encourages outbound tourism, it’s also true to say that by contrast overseas visitors coming from hot countries enjoy our cooler climate.”
by Phil Davies
Tour Operator
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