TIRED of summer showers? Longing for a lie in guaranteed sun? Worried about the credit crunch and your shrinking bank balance? Well now one firm is trying to tempt British tourists with foreign sunshine getaways for just £2 a night.
The cut-price deal – a night's accommodation for less than the cost of a pint of beer – is being offered for a limited period in October and November as tour operators try to lure back tourist money from increasingly wary consumers.
As the price o
f flights and petrol have increased, more holidaymakers have been choosing to stick to British destinations, according to operators.
Thomson Holidays, which is offering self-catering accommodation in Greece or Turkey for just £14 a week, denies the move is simply a reaction to foreign bookings taking a hit from the credit crunch.
The deals – limited to October and November – are not without catches. The price is for one-bedroom or studio apartments in two or three-star hotels, and no food or flights are included. And most of the cheap destinations do not have direct flights from Scottish airports.
But plenty of budget flights with connections from Scottish airports are available, making the prospect of a late summer break for two for a little over £250 within reach.
A spokesman for Thomson Holidays, a division of TUI UK Ltd and part of the largest tourism group in the world, said: "Like all businesses, we occasionally run targeted marketing initiatives to promote small pockets of availability. This is in no way a reflection of the current economic conditions. In fact, as noted in our most recent results released in May 2008, we have not seen any evidence of deteriorating customer sentiment in booking patterns."
He added that in a corporate statement made in May, they reported that summer 2008 sales were up 8 per cent, with 21 per cent fewer holidays still left to sell compared to 2007.
He said: "While this is a genuine offer which some of our customers will benefit from, it is a one-off promotion to promote a few selected hotels and is in no way indicative of current trading for the group or overall market."
But other operators seemed reluctant last night to follow Thomson on the cheap deals. Thomas Cook travel agents said they had not seen the new deals from their rivals and it would be unlikely they would try to match them. A spokeswoman said: "If Thomson want to do this, it's really just a marketing gimmick. I can't get drawn into whether there would be a price war now."
Thomson's discounts are disappearing. While Thomson's website last night boasted a £2-per-night deal in Icmeler on Turkey's Turquoise Coast, the cheapest rooms left are now £4. There are still £2 rooms left in Halkidiki, Greece, though there are no direct flights from Scottish airports to the nearest airport at Thessaloniki.
A journey would require a flight to London Gatwick, then Thessaloniki, with a night in the capital on the way out because of the early departure time. In total, a week at the resort could cost as little as £135 – plus the cost of food, or any luggage, which is now an extra airline cost.
Frances Tuke, a spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents, said: "These prices are very good for people willing to travel outside the peak holiday months.
"Turkey has been a popular market this year, because it is outside the eurozone and British travellers are now familiar with it. Bookings to Turkey are up by 20 per cent on last year.
"Despite the economic downturn, it seems many people are not prepared to give up their holiday, but are more inclined to cut back on other things."
The full article contains 644 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
