Bargain deals start holiday price wars
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Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 06, 2008 00:00
ANTALYA - Hard-pressed families got some holiday cheer as Britain’s biggest tour operator announced sunshine breaks for just 2 pounds a night.
According to the Britain's Daily Express, Thomson Holidays will charge 14 pounds for seven-day, self-catering holidays in Greece and Turkey. Even the family-friendly Balearic Island of Minorca is available for 4 pounds a night or 28 pounds a week.
Other big holiday companies are now expected to follow with deals of their own, said reporter David Jarvis, who said Thomson’s credit-crunch busting offers were available for holidays in October, aimed at families taking half-term breaks.
Travel experts said the bargain basement deals are likely to spark a price war. And they predict a booking stampede by the thousands of cash-strapped Britons who were forced to stay home this summer.
Cheaper flights
According to the Daily Express, the packages, which do not include flights, are for studio or one-bedroom apartments. They all have swimming pools, two and three-star ratings and close to beaches. Although the cheap holiday deals do not include flights, budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair have also recently cut prices.
A Thomson spokesman said, "Like all businesses, we occasionally run marketing initiatives to promote small pockets of availability. We want to give our customers the best deals we possibly can."
Industry experts said it would be impossible for Thomson’s competitors to ignore the holiday giant’s virtual giveaway Ğ particularly if they started losing customers.
A spokeswoman for the Association of British Travel agents said, "The British package holiday market has always been incredibly competitive and we could expect to see other cheap deals emerge. These prices are very good for people willing to travel outside peak holiday months."
Popular market
"Turkey has been a popular market this year, because it is outside the euro zone and British travelers are now familiar with it. Bookings are up by 20 per cent from last year. Despite the economic downturn, it seems many people are not prepared to give up on their holidays, but are more inclined to cut back on other things."
Thomas Cook, the biggest competitor of Thomson’s parent company, TUI, said it had only just heard about the offer. A spokeswoman said, "This is news to us. That is incredibly cheap."
The Thomson deals come after the credit squeeze hit summer foreign bookings to many resorts. Big package holiday operators Thomas Cook, Cosmos, Virgin and Thomson have cut capacity this summer to reduce their overheads. It has helped them stay profitable on fewer bookings as many Britons have opted to holiday at home.
On average, 20 million package holidays are sold annually in Britain, 13 million of them are summer breaks. This summer’s figures are expected to be significantly down from recent years.
Other big holiday companies are now expected to follow with deals of their own, said reporter David Jarvis, who said Thomson’s credit-crunch busting offers were available for holidays in October, aimed at families taking half-term breaks.
Travel experts said the bargain basement deals are likely to spark a price war. And they predict a booking stampede by the thousands of cash-strapped Britons who were forced to stay home this summer.
Cheaper flights
According to the Daily Express, the packages, which do not include flights, are for studio or one-bedroom apartments. They all have swimming pools, two and three-star ratings and close to beaches. Although the cheap holiday deals do not include flights, budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair have also recently cut prices.
A Thomson spokesman said, "Like all businesses, we occasionally run marketing initiatives to promote small pockets of availability. We want to give our customers the best deals we possibly can."
Industry experts said it would be impossible for Thomson’s competitors to ignore the holiday giant’s virtual giveaway Ğ particularly if they started losing customers.
A spokeswoman for the Association of British Travel agents said, "The British package holiday market has always been incredibly competitive and we could expect to see other cheap deals emerge. These prices are very good for people willing to travel outside peak holiday months."
Popular market
"Turkey has been a popular market this year, because it is outside the euro zone and British travelers are now familiar with it. Bookings are up by 20 per cent from last year. Despite the economic downturn, it seems many people are not prepared to give up on their holidays, but are more inclined to cut back on other things."
Thomas Cook, the biggest competitor of Thomson’s parent company, TUI, said it had only just heard about the offer. A spokeswoman said, "This is news to us. That is incredibly cheap."
The Thomson deals come after the credit squeeze hit summer foreign bookings to many resorts. Big package holiday operators Thomas Cook, Cosmos, Virgin and Thomson have cut capacity this summer to reduce their overheads. It has helped them stay profitable on fewer bookings as many Britons have opted to holiday at home.
On average, 20 million package holidays are sold annually in Britain, 13 million of them are summer breaks. This summer’s figures are expected to be significantly down from recent years.