Most consumers aware of pricing rules Ian Taylor


A majority of UK adults who plan or have taken an overseas holiday this year are aware that taxes and unavoidable fees in destination must be included in the total price. Research for Travel Weekly by


Harris Poll UK found three out of five (59%) consumers who have had an overseas holiday or have a holiday to come – and three-quarters (74%) of holidaymakers aged 18-34 – are aware mandatory destination charges must be included in the headline price. However, 31% who have


researched or booked a holiday abroad were not aware of the requirement. The Competition and Markets


Authority (CMA), the consumer law


enforcement agency, launched an online campaign to promote its “clear pricing” rules in March after issuing guidance for travel businesses last November, warning: “It’s illegal to hide mandatory fees, taxes or charges until late in the purchase process.” The CMA now has enforcement


powers allowing it to move straight to issuing hefty fines for breaches of the law. It announced last month that it


is investigating a potential breach by Ryanair and it has imposed almost £6 million in fines on businesses in other sectors for breaching the pricing rules. Abta senior solicitor Paula


Macfarlane said: “We’ve asked the CMA if they plan anything in our industry, but they won’t give anything


Trade monitors wildfire spread in France and Spain


Juliet Dennis


The trade is closely monitoring devastating and unprecedented wildfires in France and Spain as fears rise they could continue to spread due to a heatwave this week. Firefighters were battling to


control fires near Bordeaux, Madrid and Valencia as Travel Weekly went to press, with temperatures expected to reach 39C in both countries on Wednesday. More than 300,000 people


have already been evacuated across France and Spain, including tourists in the Atlantic coastal parts of the


4 30 JULY 2026


Gironde and Landes region in southwest France. Airports remained operational but some hotels and campsites were closed. Travel firms said they were


keeping a watching brief. A Hays Travel spokeswoman


said: “We’re not seeing significant customer disruption but we continue to actively monitor the situation and work closely with tour operator partners.” Kirker Holidays was also “very


closely monitoring the situation”. Senior manager and head of marketing Patrick Millar added: “We will be speaking personally to any agents


Trying to talk to the CMA about the issues has been a challenge. It’s a regulation . . . with no real benefit


away. I’m not aware of CMA action in the travel sector, [but] we know they expect businesses to comply.” A CMA spokesperson said:


“We’ve been monitoring practices across the economy. We can’t comment on letters we may have sent [or] on upcoming cases. [But] we’ve been clear that tackling misleading practices, including transparent pricing, remains a priority.” Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief


executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “There is a much better understanding [of the rules] as time goes on.” However, she said: “Trying


to talk to the CMA about the issues has been a challenge. It’s a sweeping regulation that has created complexities with no real benefit.” She asked: “Did consumers feel


they were being misled [ahead of these rules being introduced]?” Consumer research for Travel


Weekly in January found 55% of those likely to take an overseas holiday this year and 60% of those who had a holiday last year expected to pay local charges when on holiday. Only 15% did not. Harris Poll UK surveyed 1,000 UK adults on June 16-22.


A firefighting aircraft tackles a blaze in southern France


and clients feeling anxious about future bookings to France or Spain.” Uniworld Boutique River Cruises


has made “small modifications to docking spots out of an abundance of caution” but not cancelled any cruises, adding its programme was “largely unaffected”. A spokesperson said: “It is a highly fluid situation.” CroisiEurope said the only impact


would be if there were road closures or traffic affecting excursions, such as to Arcachon Bay in southwest France. Peter Burden, finance director


of Europe camping specialist Venue Holidays, said the Aito operator was unaffected by current fires


but had to refund more than 100 clients after a fire swept through Yelloh! Village Le Brasilia campsite in France on July 2, where it had 20 families staying at the time. “We refunded everyone and


had to cancel all holidays up to this weekend (July 25-26), when the site reopened,” he said. “The impact for us was reasonably


limited. We feel we got off quite lightly but it is probably something we will have to get used to. It will probably happen again somewhere else.” He predicted some campsites


would introduce restrictions such as on barbecues to avert potential fires.


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/arafatmyt


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