Tour operators and airlines have slashed the price of Christmas holidays in an effort to tempt Britons abroad.
Holiday companies are knocking up to 50 per cent off departures in the coming weeks, while airlines are “flooding” the market with cheap seats.
EasyJet is selling flights to Faro in Portugal for less than £50 return this month, while Ryanair has released thousands of seats for less than £10 one-way, excluding luggage.
Ministers are expected to approve the scrapping of hotel quarantine for arrivals from countries on the red list today. Passengers from 11 southern African countries, including South Africa, Botswana and Nigeria, will instead be told to self-isolate at home.
The Times understands the desire is that no one will be quarantining in an airport hotel on Christmas Day. For this to be achieved the scheme will have to be scrapped with almost immediate effect, or the length of stay reduced.
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Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said that rules on travel could be eased quickly. “Given that we already know that the Omicron variant is fast becoming the dominant variant in our capital city, spreading rapidly throughout the country, the justification for having those rules is minimised,” he said.
“It’s something that I’ve already raised with my colleagues in the Department for Transport and I do hope that we can act quickly.”
At present anyone returning to the UK from a country not on the red list must take a pre-departure test as well as a PCR test on or before day two of their return. Arrivals must self-isolate at home until they receive a negative test result. These requirements add about £100 on to the cost of a trip abroad, although airline bosses say it is the requirement to test before returning to the UK that deters travel.
“It is the fear of testing positive and being stuck abroad,” one tour operator boss said. “It just really spooks people, especially in the run-up to Christmas when last year’s was cancelled.”
Tui, the UK’s biggest tour operator, has cut the price of some long-haul destinations. A week in Khao Lak, Thailand, departing on Friday is now £1,183pp, down from £2,620pp. A week in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, has been discounted from £1,111pp to £525pp, departing on Sunday. Both include flights. Jet2, its biggest competitor, has a week in Malta, departing Manchester on Sunday from £258pp, including flights.
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Winter-sun breaks were once some of the most sought-after holidays. Consumer confidence, however, has been hugely dented by restrictions aimed at curbing the Omicron variant.
“The onerous and constantly punitive restrictions imposed by the government have worked wonders in suppressing demand for an already fragile economic sector,” Julia Lo Bue-Said, of the Advantage Travel Partnership, said.
Airline bosses want the scrapping of hotel quarantine for red-list arrivals to be accompanied by an easing of other rules. The Times understands that Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, was the biggest advocate for the return of pre-departure testing. Chief executives of airlines, including British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic, wrote to the prime minister yesterday demanding that restrictions be eased.
The best deals
All deals are for seven nights and include flights
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• B&B at the four-star Hipotels La Geria, Las Palmas, Spain, from £370pp, departing December 17 (jet2.com)
• B&B at the four-star Madeira Regency Cliff Hotel, in Funchal, from £695pp, December 15 (ba.com/holidays)
• Half board at the four-star Hotel Riu Nautilus on the Costa del Sol from £325pp, December 19 (tui.co.uk)
• B&B at the four-star Santana, Malta, from £219pp, December 19 (ba.com/holidays)
• Half board at the Hotel Yaramar on the Costa del Sol, from £475pp, December 26 (firstchoice.co.uk)
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• Room only at the four-star Fergus Style Palmanova, Mallorca, from £598pp, December 26 (ba.com/holidays)
• B&B at the five-star Vincci Selección Estrella del Mar, Costa del Sol, from £604pp, December 19 (tui.co.uk)
• B&B at the four-star Constantinou Bros Athena Beach Hotel, Cyprus, from £329pp, January 9 (haystravel.co.uk)
• Nine-night Western Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale, from £1,823pp, December 18 (iglucruise.com)
Prices correct on going to press