Average package holiday prices to the Algarve have dropped by as much as 48% during lockdown as operators seek to encourage summer bookings.
Holiday price comparison site TravelSupermarket highlighted price falls when examining recent summer holiday prices compared with the first few months of the year.
Prices have fallen to many other beach and city destinations in an attempt to reinvigorate the travel market.
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Rates have dropped to many Spanish destinations including Tenerife (-19%), Lanzarote (-17%), Majorca (-13%) and Fuerteventura (-10%).
The average price of a package holiday to many of the Greek islands has also dropped by as much 21% to Zante and 16% to Rhodes.
Resorts in Bulgaria such as Nesebar and Sunny Beach have seen cuts of 15%.
Package holiday prices have also come down in the last ten weeks of lockdown to Turkey compared with when they were on sale in the first three months of the year.
TravelSupermarket travel commentator Emma Coulthurst said: “FCO advice against non-essential travel needs to be lifted before travel can resume and countries need to confirm that Brits are welcome without any need to quarantine.
“All of this uncertainty and natural consumer reticence is pushing down prices.
“With demand much lower than normal for this time of year, the travel market is providing low holiday prices to encourage people to book.
“We have seen search demand pick up in the last fortnight as the Med has signalled its desire for tourists to return to its cities and beaches. But there will need to be more clarity on the exact dates when British holidaymakers can return before the market really picks up”.
Package holiday prices have also dropped to city break destinations such as Madrid, Venice, Amsterdam and Rome.
Coulthurst added: “You’d normally expect to see high prices in August during school summer holidays.
“However, because coronavirus has put a stop to travel and there is still no clear picture on when holidays from the UK will resume, currently there are prices lower than £300 per person for four-star all-inclusive seven-night family holidays.
“You can pick up bargains throughout the summer from under £100pp for two nights to central Madrid and a week’s package deal – flight and accommodation – to Spain, Greece, Turkey or the Algarve from under £200pp.”
Lowest-priced holiday destinations
Based on the current average prices for a seven-night package holiday from the UK this summer:
- Majorca
- Costa del Sol
- Costa Blanca
- The Algarve
- Dubrovnik Riviera
- Costa Dorada
- Costa Brava
- Malta
- Ibiza
- Sunny Beach, Bulgaria
- Tenerife
- Corfu
- Antalya, Turkey
- Fuerteventura
- Dalaman, Turkey
- Crete
- Zante
- Kefalonia
- Kos
- Bodrum, Turkey
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