Yet again it is a combination of things rather than one that makes people think about whether they will have a holiday next year.
The CBI’s November Service Sector Survey says that travel services companies are less optimistic than they were three months ago and they predict that optimism will decline further. So what’s new? It seems all we read about are downturns.
Yesterday the pound hit a low point against the euro making the prospect of holidays in popular destinations like Spain, Italy, Greece and France more expensive. We might see a return to holiday surcharges based on currency fluctuations. And today Gatwick has been closed for hours because of the runway being frozen and the need to de-ice it. Bangkok had the demonstrations at the airport a few weeks ago which caused it to be shut for days and Ryanair announced that it will cancel all flights to Fuerteventura from January because the local tourist board hasn’t fulfilled its responsibility in promoting the island. This is despite the fact that Ryanair carried a quarter of a million passengers there this year. Cynical travel watchers are wondering whether this is really just a cutback disguised as a dispute
The holiday industry has been fairly resilient in past downturns. People might trade down from 4 star accommodation to 3 star or take an evening flight instead of a day flight. They might go somewhere a bit cheaper, maybe not in the eurozone but who is to know where currency rates will be in the peak season time next year? Domestic holiday bookings are said to be doing well.
Whatever happens people will still need a break. If for no other reason to get away from the perpetual doom and gloom the media preaches!