TOUR operators to Hong Kong have blamed airlines for the fact that package-holiday prices are up to 60% higher than this time last year.
Although hotels in the former British colony are continuing to slash rates, operators say air fares have been hiked over the past few months.
They claimed this was because the three carriers which operate direct flights between the UK and Hong Kong were focusing their efforts on building business to Australia instead.
The Destination Group’s sales and marketing director Neil Gregory said:”British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic are not doing the deals they were this time last year because they can get better revenue by selling flights down to Australia.
“This time last year we could offer five nights in Hong Kong for about £289, but now the price has gone up to about £489.”
Gregory admitted air fares could not stay as low as they were last year, but he said they were now too expensive.
“We would like to see airlines knocking another £50 off to try to increase business to Hong Kong which at the moment is sporadic,”he said.
Kuoni’s product manager Linda Miles agreed more special offers were needed to stimulate demand.
“We are still getting the occasional special offers from the airlines, but these are not as low as they were just after the handover and there are not as many offers as we would like to see,” she said.
Cathay Pacific admitted that during the first quarter of this year it was concentrating its efforts on building business to Australia.
But the airline’s UK spokeswoman said: “We also want to build Hong Kong into a super hub of Asia. This was the reason we launched a stopover programme earlier this year which we believe positions Hong Kong as one of the best value stopover options in Asia.”