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Holidaymakers look to Eurozone for travel bargains
Interest in crisis-hit Eurozone countries has soared from budget-conscious holidaymakers hoping for cut-price deals, according to online travel retailer Hotels.com
It says that from June to September, searches for hotels in Spain were up 85%, in Portugal up 80%, Greece up 78%, Italy 72% and Ireland 50% on the same period in 2010.
The capital cities of those countries also saw substantial jumps with searches for Madrid up 67%, Lisbon 61%, Rome 41%, Athens 37% and Dublin 8%.
However, bargain hunters may have been disappointed as, despite their financial woes, not all the countries listed have lowered their prices. Hotel rates have been cut in Greece and Portugal, but in Spain, Italy and Ireland prices are up year on year as hoteliers cash in on increased demand from holidaymakers switching from the North African troublespots of Egypt and Tunisia.
According to Hotels.com's latest Hotel Price Index, which tracks prices paid for rooms rather than advertised rates, the average room rate in Athens fell by 15% to £80, but across the whole of Greece it was down just 4% to an average of £96. In Lisbon prices were down just 3% to £79 but in Dubln prices rose 7% to £73 and in Italy and Spain they were up 5% and 3% to £113 and £83 respectively.
Alison Couper of Hotels.com said: “There are undoubtedly some good deals on hotel rooms at the moment and this applies to the Eurozone as much as anywhere else.
“Hoteliers in some of the affected countries have cut their room rates to attract visitors because demand has slumped as domestic consumers tighten their belts. It could well be that savvy UK travellers are shopping around and targeting those destinations affected by the Euro crisis in the hope of bagging a bargain.”
She added: “A range of factors affect the popularity and price of hotel destinations, including political unrest, natural disasters and economic turmoil.
“There seems no doubt that the debt upheaval besetting parts of the Eurozone has played, and will continue to play, a significant part in influencing prices as hoteliers discount room rates in an attempt to attract both domestic and overseas visitors.
“This in turn appears to be generating interest from Britons looking for a good deal on the Continent.”
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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