The Co-operative Travel hopes to direct more consumers to its travel agents with a PR campaign on how savvy shopping can bring down holiday prices.
The group – which claims holidaymakers could be wasting hundreds of pounds by failing to get the best prices when booking flights, exchanging currency and buying add-ons – said recent focus groups and consumer research showed holidaymakers were fed up with searching online for the best deals.
A spokesman said: “People are sick of trawling the net for deals. They should be excited about finding a holiday and it should not be a chore. We want to remind the public about how knowledgeable the travel agent is and the put the fun back into booking a holiday.”
The Co-operative Travel’s findings shows an average family of four could save up to £1,430 or 58% of an average family holiday to Spain costing £2,464 or £616 per person.
The largest savings are found when buying flights, with a saving of £148 by switching from the most expensive to the cheapest day in any given month. Higher savings are on offer during school holidays – the saving would be £217 on average during the Easter half-term holiday.
Other findings included booking car hire months in advance. For example the cost of a car hire for a holiday in August was £150 less if booked in March than if left until May.
Similarly, fluctuating exchange rates mean savings an average of £49.89 for every 500 euros purchased or £43.92 for every 500 US dollars, according to the retailer. It also claimed consumers could save £47 per 500 euros and £40 per 500 US dollars exchanged by using travel agents rather than airport exchange kiosks just before going on holdiay.
Director of retail distribution Trevor Davis said: “Travel agents are using these tricks every day to get better prices for their customers, for example by showing people how much they could save by making small changes to their travel plans. However, with the growth of online booking many holidaymakers are missing out on this advice.”