Agents warn of summer holiday shortage
Agents are warning there could be a shortage of holidays this summer as holidaymakers are left with fewer destinations to choose from.
With the UK Foreign Office warning against travel to Tunisia and flying to Sharm El Sheikh, and amid continued security fears about travel to Turkey and the rest of Egypt, the agency chain urged holidaymakers to book early for other popular holiday spots to avoid disappointment.
Barrhead Travel said other destinations are seeing a major jump in demand, with bookings for Spain up by 37% against this time last year, Bulgaria by 22%, Malta by 20%, Portugal 18% and Italy 17%.
Its figures were backed up by the latest data from GfK’s Leisure Travel Monitor, which showed summer bookings to Spain are up 26%, Portugal by 29% and and Cyprus by 18%.
ABTA said 35% of Brits who are planning to go on holiday have not yet booked.
"We are seeing a significant increase in summer holiday bookings to Western Mediterranean destinations so I would urge holidaymakers who are looking to travel not to delay in making their booking," said ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer.
The shortage warning came as Tunisian officials put pressure on the UK government to relax its travel advice against all but essential travel to the country.
The travel warning was imposed after 30 British holidaymakers, all Thomson and First Choice customers, were killed in a beach terror attack in the popular resort of Sousse in June 2015.
Tunisia has seen a 90% drop in British visitors in the first four months of 2016 to just 5,980 visitors.
Tunisia’s ambassador Nabil Ammar told the BBC the UK Foreign Office should not allow ‘the impression that this is not a safe country’ and should take into account all the progress made in security.
He said the warning was severely damaging the country’s tourism industry and overall economy.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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