Domestic tour operators have seen a surge in demand for London bookings as consumers flock to the capital to pay their respects to the Queen.
Operators said they have been “incredibly busy” since the funeral date was confirmed and are “struggling” to find hotel availability for the coming bank holiday weekend, as accommodation is booked up by those from the UK and overseas wanting to pay tribute.
“We’ve had a huge uptick in demand for London breaks as people want to come down and stand in line to see the coffin, lay flowers or see the funeral procession,” said Graeme Brett, director of South Shields agency Westoe Travel.
“More than 220 people have booked through us already and the number is only going up – it’s similar to when Princess Diana died.
“We are struggling to find hotel availability on Saturday night, but still seeing some space for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.”
Mark Wilson, director of Hotel Direct, said some hotels had “closed out availability to tour operators and travel agents so they have accommodation for visiting dignitaries”, which has contributed to a lack of supply and increased prices.
Great Little Breaks has seen the number of hotels it can offer its customers dwindle by two-thirds for the coming weekend, as many close their doors to consumers.
Director of trade relations Chris Cundall said: “Where we normally have around 120 hotels to offer our customers, we are now only seeing around 40 as two-thirds of hotels aren’t taking bookings because they are being taken over for exclusive use so we don’t have the choice we would normally have.
“On top of that, some of those hotels that do have availability are pushing up their prices. A London break package for two people travelling from the northeast would normally cost around £550, but for the coming weekend it’s £700.”
Additionally, Cundall said he had seen a surge of holiday booking amendments by customers choosing to stay at home to watch the funeral with their loved ones.
“More than 50% of all our bookings for the bank holiday weekend for places such as the Lake District or the Cotswolds have been changed, with 90% of those being amended and 10% completely cancelled,” he said.
“What’s more, many of our theatre package breaks have been cancelled as some theatres have chosen to postpone performances on Monday as a sign of respect to the Queen, so all customers who were booked onto those have either amended their booking or been refunded.
“We have flexibility in most of our breaks so amendments are not financially impacting our customers, but it has led to an incredibly busy few days.”