News

THE TRADE is growing increasingly worried as the summer continues to prove a tough-sell with prices under pressure as consumers wait for better late deals.

Operators reported signs of improvement but warned the market was not at the level it should be with many holidaymakers waiting for further price reductions after specialists introduced deals to the eastern Mediterranean earlier this month.

Cosmos commercial director Stuart Jackson said: “There are still a lot of cheap deals that should not be that cheap.”

While pressure remains on Greece, other destinations such as the Balearics are holding up. MyTravel UK deputy chief operating officer Steve Endacott said the peak season remained “reasonably firm” and predicted the year would end 4% down. But sources warned the high season was still proving tough with tactical price cuts being used to shift stock.

“We have all been a bit greedy and now we are having to bring prices down to more sensible levels,” claimed one operator.