Holidaymakers hold out for last minute deals

SUMMER BOOKINGS:NEARLY HALF OF consumers will book their major holiday at the last minute this year. The recession has brought a drop in prices and better value in the marketplace, with no shortage of consumers seeking to take advantage of it.

SelfCatering.ie says that 47 per cent of people it surveyed said they would not be booking their holiday until July or August. Tourism experts interpret this to mean that consumers are expecting prices to drop over the summer, making late booking a sensible economic move.

The company’s survey also found that two-thirds of respondents would be booking a self-catering holiday at home or abroad, with price and flexibility cited as major influences in the decision-making process.

Overseas villa bookings have doubled since last year, says Mary Power, managing director of SelfCatering.ie. “Self-catering holidays have always been hugely popular, especially for families with children, but with the current economic constraints a lot of families are returning to the self-catering option after a break of over a decade.”

Over Easter, self-catering lodges at Sheraton Fota Island are almost booked out. Consumers are taking advantage of lower prices there and at Waterford Castle and Seafield resort. Both resorts are selling stays in their self-catering lodges for a third of the price of staying at the hotel itself: €1,400 will buy you a week for a family of four at Waterford Castle Hotel over Easter; one of its lodges will set you back just €425.