Average holiday prices from the UK to Portugal fall 64% following amber announcement
11th June - The average price of a summer holiday departing this July or August from the UK to Portugal fell by 64% following the Department for Transport amber list announcement for the country (03.06-09.06 vs 27.05-02.06.21). Comparing the week before and after the Government’s announcement, clicks on holidays to Portugal dropped by 85%. That is according to search data from TravelSupermarket, the website which enables holidaymakers to compare package holiday prices across the outbound holiday sector from the UK. Seven-night package holidays for a family during the school holidays to destinations such as Portugal, which the FCDO is saying you can take holidays to but for which amber restrictions are currently in place, are available from as little as £180pp.
Also, if you compare the average price of a package holiday this summer vs. pre pandemic, from the UK to some of Brits’ favourite destinations, many have dropped in price. Islands in the Canaries, particularly Tenerife, are consistently some of the most popular holiday searches for Brits via TravelSupermarket. If you look at the average price of a seven-night package holiday from the UK in July or August 2021 vs 2019, it is -25% lower to Gran Canaria, -23% cheaper to Tenerife, -15% cheaper to Lanzarote and -12% to Fuerteventura (holiday searches 26.05-09.06.21 vs 26.05-09.06.19). Average summer holiday prices have also dropped compared with summer 2019 to some Greek islands, which are currently on the FCDO ‘ok to travel on holiday to’ list albeit on the Department for Transport’s amber list e.g. -20% to Corfu.
Iceland is one of the few countries on the Department for Transport’s current green list. To go there on holiday from the UK, you need to be double-vaccinated or have the necessary certification to show that you have recovered from a prior covid infection. Comparing current July and August prices, the average package holiday price of a week based in Reykjavik vs 2019 is -15%.
There are also average seven night price falls for July and August 2021 vs 2019 to destinations on the Spanish mainland and the Balearics and to some other Greek islands and city break destinations e.g.-26% to Santorini, -23% to Rome and -19% lower to the Costa Dorada (popular resorts include Salou/PortAventura and La Pineda). But all of these destinations are currently amber and FCDO “essential travel only”.
Conversely, with a limited number of countries on the FCDO ok to travel list or allowing entry within the common travel area, some of these destinations have seen average price increases for holidays from the UK in July and August vs 2019. Jersey, within the Common Travel Area, requires a free covid test to be undertaken on arrival (and only those who haven’t been double vaccinated have to self-isolate in their hotel room until the result). Average prices there for July and August are currently +27% (looking at all durations as people tend to visit there for a variety of nights) vs the same time in 2019.
Emma Coulthurst from TravelSupermarket says the Government’s recent decisions on travel are having an understandable impact on consumer demand and price; “It would, in normal times, be fairly hard to find a seven-night package holiday during the summer school holidays from under £300pp. You can understand why it has got to the point where foreign holidays from the UK during this period are available from under £200pp.
“The industry has many holidays to sell. Yet, the Government’s failure last week to follow its own traffic light system and offer a watch list and base its decisions on countries’ data – for example, Malta has a lower coronavirus rate than the UK and has more of its population vaccinated - has created a lack of clarity for holidaymakers. Also, many people do not want to or are unable to self-isolate. Prices are often the most expensive at the start of the school holidays as people are itching to get away as soon as they can. This year, they are some of the cheapest due to the current confusion and chaos over how the traffic light system is implemented”.
The UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice is that holidays are allowed to the Canary Islands, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Kos, Zante/Zakynthos, Malta and Portugal, with amber restrictions to be followed on return to the UK from these destinations. Emma says that this isn’t being made clear at all; “Many Government ministers continue to say that amber list countries are not for holidays. Yet, the Government’s own Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice is that it is safe to holiday in a number of countries including Portugal and the Canaries. This needs to be made clearer. It is not fair on the industry or holidaymakers”.
“Clearly, for many who have to go out to work, self-isolation isn’t viable. But, with the higher cost of living in the UK and high demand making many holidays in the UK expensive, some people who can work from home may choose to go to an FCDO-approved amber country. Countries with similar or lower virus rates than the UK and good vaccination rates such as Malta and the Canaries offer much lower holiday prices, eating out costs and predictable weather”.
Emma adds; “The Government also said it would look at doing something to reduce testing costs across the board. If France can provide free PCR tests for travel to its citizens and Greece, a country which has had many economic struggles, can cap PCR tests at 40 euros (£35) for its citizens, why can’t the UK do something similar? Thank goodness for some of the great Industry initiatives. But the Government still needs to do more to bring testing costs down across the board. High prices and the poor ability to navigate the options on the gov.uk website is naturally putting some travellers off”.
The next green list announcements are expected before 28 June, 19 July and 9 August.
Emma says that it is really important to check terms and conditions before booking; “If you are looking to book for July and August but don’t want to or can’t self-isolate on your return from holiday, make sure you book with a company offering flexible booking guarantees that allow you to change the holiday date, if the country remains amber. With many UK holidays prohibitively expensive to many Brits, the strong hope is that, with vaccination programmes progressing well, many more Mediterranean countries will have green list travel status in July and August”.
“You also need to check that the country which you wish to go to is accepting UK holidaymakers and what, if any, entry requirements are in place to go there. Some countries, for example Portugal, are requiring a negative PCR result from all travellers irrespective of vaccination status. Many countries also require you to fill in an online declaration form before travel”.
“Also, book on a credit card for extra consumer protection, get your travel insurance in place when you book and look for extra covid protection to cover you if you had to self-isolate and couldn’t go and check that you have six months left on your passport before you fly. Also, remember to compare and contrast prices and arrange your car hire in advance of your trip – it will nearly always be more expensive to organise when you arrive and there will be no guarantee of the car which you want”.
The most popular twenty destinations to search for a package holiday in the last week (3-10 June clicks for any future date up to 31st Dec 2022) via TravelSupermarket are 1. Crete 2. Orlando 3. Bali 4. Tenerife 5. Costa del Sol 6. Maldives 7. Fuerteventura 8. New York 9. Las Vegas 10. Singapore 11. Disneyland Paris 12. Canary Islands (all Island search) 13. Cancun, Mexico 14. Barbados 15. Costa Blanca including Benidorm 16. Antalya, Turkey 17. Balearic Islands 18. Majorca 19. Dominican Republic 20. Jamaica. Searches are currently split 58% for 2021 departures and 42% for 2022 departures.
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