Trade grapples with Easter changes Ian Taylor


Operators and agents appear set for a frantic Easter as increasing numbers of customers seek to change holiday plans while those due to travel via the Gulf require rebooking or refunds. Hopes of a speedy resolution to


the war have diminished and, with US marines on the way to the Gulf by sea from Japan and not expected to arrive until the start of the holiday, it seems likely that missile and drone attacks will continue over Easter. Blue Bay Travel chief Alistair


Rowland said “most” customers booked to fly via the UAE “are opting for a refund”, adding: “Loads want to cancel in April, May and June.” Association of Atol Companies


advisor Alan Bowen agreed “most” booked via the Gulf “want their money back”. But he added: “Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus are getting close to 100% cancellations [for Easter]. Cyprus is probably OK, but people see maps of the region every day.” Dan Salmon, managing director


of Chelmsford-based Never A Wasted Journey, said: “The majority of clients travelling to the UAE are cancelling, even with travel a month away. Confidence is low and has had a knock-on effect on other destinations such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives. “For Easter, it’s proving difficult to


switch people to other destinations. The Caribbean is so busy and everything is super expensive.” Advantage Travel Partnership commercial director John Sullivan


Summer prices for western Med rise as demand shifts


Juliet Dennis


The trade says pressure on prices for peak summer breaks in the western Mediterranean is intensifying as demand increases for “safe” destinations. Travel agents report prices


have started to rise for destinations including Spain and Portugal. Idle Travel owner Tony Mann


said: “Some western Med prices have risen for May compared with a couple of weeks ago.” He highlighted consumer


price sensitivity, with the agency’s year-on-year sales down 40% for


4 19 MARCH 2026


March 1-17, adding: “Operators need to be careful not to put people off altogether. Business is dire.” The Holiday Shop director


Marina Marsh said the shift from Cyprus and Turkey to the western Med meant prices had “started to go up a little” for summer and warned of a lack of cheap deals in lates. She added: “Chances are the


holiday could be gone or go up in price due to tight availability.” Janet Lacey, personal travel


consultant with Not Just Travel, agreed “even better late deals” would “probably not materialise” this year. She said increased demand for


Spain, Portugal and Italy had led to a “firming of prices rather than a single, dramatic jump”. She noted: “On the ground, that’s


showing as higher flight prices for peak dates into the western Med than we’d normally expect at this point in the year, and less deep-discounting on late summer and Easter than you might have seen a few years ago, because aircraft are staying full.” Cruise Monks managing director


Wael Seliman noted price rises in “safer” destinations were yet to reach levels where they were “putting people off”. Advantage Travel Partnership said there was “no hard evidence”


For Easter, it’s


proving difficult to switch destinations – the Caribbean is busy and everything is expensive


said: “Reading the market is difficult given the volume of cancellations and rebookings. However, demand has softened. “We’re seeing a clear shift in


travel patterns. The western Med is the standout, [and] we’ve seen a significant late spike in demand for the Caribbean. Customers are enquiring but holding off committing.” Tui UK and Ireland managing director Neil Swanson reported


“some people feeling uncertain about upcoming travel”, saying: “We’re helping customers find different flight options or destinations.” He insisted: “This isn’t translating


into customers abandoning holidays. We’re seeing cancellations, [but] these are outweighed by customers choosing to amend their plans – switching dates, choosing a route that avoids the region or selecting a different destination.” Speaking on BBC Radio 4 on


Tuesday, Hays Travel chair Dame Irene Hays said: “Bookings are down [and] we have an increase in people wanting to change their holiday or perhaps cancel. “Anything transiting east, we have


a problem with capacity. But we have lots of capacity available to the west.”


Cascais, Portugal


of widespread price increases “at this point” but commercial director John Sullivan admitted: “As we move closer to the Easter and summer holiday periods, availability and capacity will tighten, which could place upward pressure on pricing.” The price fears came as


Jet2holidays chief executive Steve Heapy revealed he was warning western Med hoteliers against “getting greedy and putting rates up”. Ted Wake, managing director of


short-break specialist Kirker, said the operator had yet to see price rises and warned it was “definitely the wrong moment to be profiteering”.


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Alexandre Rotenberg


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