FAMILY HOLIDAYS FREE CHILD PLACES DESTINATIONS Free
hen it comes to bagging a family holiday bargain, getting the right deal is of the essence – and offers such as free child places can make or break a booking. But can they secure your clients genuine savings, or are they just marketing spiel offset by higher overall rates? We’ve spoken to the experts to wade through the masses of information and cut straight to the good stuff.
W
Kids-go-free offers sound rosy, but are you always getting the best deal? Laura French investigates
@laurafrench121
w WIN SOME, LOSE SOME Child-free deals certainly have their benefits, and many of them mean significant savings, according to Malcolm Davies, product destination manager at Funway Holidays. He says: “It’s always going to work out cheaper using these offers, unless clients are perhaps going for a much lower standard of accommodation.” Alongside the money-saving element, operators point to other pluses. Since the best deals are often secured earlier on, they can be a handy tool for encouraging clients to book without delay, says Elena Ahmadian, marketing executive at Cyplon Holidays.
spirits They can also help draw your
attention to the most family- friendly spots, according to John Parker, product manager at Premier Holidays, since hotels with these deals are typically among the most child-oriented. But there can be catches. First
off, they normally mean putting kids in the same room as the parents, which might not appeal to those at the upper end of the age limit. Second, they can mask higher overall prices, according to Costandinos Christofi, sales manager for Columbia Beach Resort in Cyprus (which features first-child-free offers). “Sometimes offers on children do mean the overall adult rate has been bumped up to compensate for the saving, so we would recommend being wary,” he says. “We would suggest looking at resorts and seeing what else they offer, such as included activities and kids’ clubs offered on a complimentary basis.”
w ADDED EXTRAS So how can you avoid the cons, and which resorts offer the best extras that go beyond just sticking a child in a shared family suite? Caribtours suggests
7 February 2019
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