Western Mediterranean hoteliers have “dropped their arrogant outlook” and have come back to UK operators with a “deluge of deals” to fill their beds, according to a leading supplier.
Classic Collection owner and managing director Nick Munday said: “It’s as if the horrible storm clouds these hoteliers had created for the first quarter of the year have lifted.
“Last year they sold too early and missed the jackpot they felt they could have got when demand for the western Med rocketed. So this year, they cranked up their prices by about 20% and peeled back all their special offers.
“We have been battling with them for months, telling them Brits were not going to buy holidays at those prices, and have been moving customers into Greece and Croatia instead.
“But now we are being rung daily by these Western Med hoteliers, asking us where their Classic Collection clients are, and offering us great prices and special offers again. I am sure they are ringing other UK operators as well.”
Munday said a combination of more sensible hotel rates; the pound creeping back up to 1.19; and the fact that flight prices have “fallen through the floor” with too many planes being switched to Majorca, Spain and Portugal, could herald a strong lates market.
“The pendulum has swung back in our favour. Prices for the Western Med for summer 2017 are the best they’ve been since the season went on sale. It really feels to me that the wheel has turned,” he said.
“If we can get this message out to the general public then the lates market for us could be very strong. Just in the nick of time too. It was a major obstacle in the way of trading and was getting quite close to the knuckle.”
Munday revealed he had loaded 1,100 special offers on for April since the hoteliers had been calling asking for business, compared to 850 for the same month last year.
And he said he would be loading double the number he had last year in May.
“You should see the rate at which they are piling in. Holidays aren’t cheap, but there is availability now in the Western Med at a decent price. Holidays there are affordable and accessible again for the first time in months.”
Munday said: “The Western Med hoteliers got it wrong. They were way too bullish and are now wondering where all the British guests are – and they are urging operators like us to get our customers back to their properties.”