Demand for Greece tumbles but Turkey sees late summer spike
The cost of package holidays to Greece fell 27% in the last two weeks as demand slumped, according to new data.
The 17% decline in interest, and subsequent price fall, followed the ever-changing travel advice which has seen consumer confidence sink.
Prices to some Greek destinations tumbled by more than 40%.
While mainland Greece remains on the English and Welsh travel corridors, several islands were added to the quarantine list. Scotland has advised against all travel to Greece and its islands.
Demand for Portugal has also plummeted, by 57%, after it was removed from the travel corridor, according to TravelSupermarket.
But there have been ‘winners’, the comparison site said, with searches for Turkey rising sharply and accounting for 30% of late summer holiday interest over the last fortnight.
Despite the overall decline for Greece holidays, islands which remain exempt from quarantine restrictions have seen a spike in interest with searches for Kos doubling, Rhodes increasing 80%, Corfu 46% and Sardinia 37%.
TravelSupermarket commentator Emma Coulthurst said: "There continues to be definite winners and losers in the outbound holiday market. No doubt, the adding by UK Governments of restrictions to some or all parts of Greece is a reason for the demand decrease for holidays to the country. However, some Greek Islands such as Kos, Rhodes and Corfu, which remain exempt from UK travel restrictions, have benefited from the UK travel advice against travel to other parts of Greece".
Demand for breaks in Poland and Italy from the UK increased 25% and 18% respectively.
Coulthurst said the way in which people are booking a holiday has also changed.
"In 2019, the average lead time via TravelSupermarket between people looking for and then departing on a holiday was six weeks," she said. "This year, the average has reduced to four weeks.
"Over the last few weeks, we have seen a marked increase in people searching for holidays which are departing within a week. People are looking at average coronavirus daily case numbers, picking a destination and booking and going away very soon afterwards".
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