Post holiday blues hits travel industry

By Humphrey Carter BRITISH consumers are being blitzed by special holidays offers as the leading tour operators go to war in a bid to try to boost end-of-summer bookings and kick-start the winter market. Three-star, self catering weeks in Majorca are being knocked out for £100 per person while flights to Palma are being offered from just £12.99. But, if you think that is cheap, the slump in package holiday sales has led some tour operators to slash prices to as low as £19 for a week in Turkey. The downturn in Autumn bookings has led to a flood of Mediterranean holidays on to the market for as little or less than £100 and the messages out of the UK about this summer somewhat contradict what the Balearic tourism chiefs have been proclaiming. While a spokeperson for the Association of British Travel Agents admitted yesterday that Spain, as a whole, has had a good summer, some key facts did hit summer holiday trade. The World Cup either tempted many fans to stay at home or blow their holiday budget on a new television, never mind the that fact that the UK basked in one of the hottest July's on record. Bird flu and bombs hit Turkey with tourists opting primarily for Greece as the closest and most similar destination. Tour operator sources in Britain have claimed that trading conditions are the worst for the past 15 years and what is hot helping to keep the package holiday alive is the boom in residential and independent tourism. The Bulletin reported yesterday that independent tourism now accounts for over 40 percent of the Balearic holiday market. What is more, winter tourism in the Balearics is not selling. This year, for the first time, ever just one out of the big four major tour operators will be operating a winter programme in Majorca. “It's the Canaries, it's cheaper but there's also much more to do and, above anything else, the weather's guaranteed,” an industry source said.