SALES SLUMP:POSH TRAVEL IS OUT and watching your wallet and holidaying at home are in. The signs are everywhere. The number of people flying business and first class fell sharply, by 19 per cent, in March, despite bargain business and first-class tickets. The decline in economy travel was lower, at 8 per cent, but will fall further, says the International Air Transport Association.
The only destination seeing a growth in passengers is the Middle East. Everywhere else demand has plummeted, prompting Iata to forecast a €4.7 billion loss this year, on top of losses of €8.5 billion last year.
In their attempts to encourage people to make late bookings to fly abroad, tour companies have found that offering the best-value packages in history still isn’t enough. Thomas Cook, for example, is dispensing practical advice on how travellers can get the most for their money, including haggling.
Some examples: carry smaller denominations, so that if you give a wrong note you won’t lose too much money; attend local festivals for free food and wine; use cash rather than credit cards to avoid extra fees – in Cuba the fee is a whopping 11.24 per cent – and know your currency. Confusing 50 piastres (6c) for 50 pounds (€6) in Egypt is an expensive mistake.
New York city launched its own campaign this week. NYC: the Real Deal offers buy-one-get-one-half-price discounts to visitors at hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums, shops and Broadway shows. Summer restaurant week in July will offer three-course dinners for $35 and 20-30 per cent off Sunday-night hotel stays.
New York is the point of entry for 56 per cent of Irish visitors to the US. NYC Company, which has an office in Dublin, is working with the Irish travel trade and airlines to promote good value for Irish tourists as the refurbished Statue of Liberty – first site of so many wild geese in the past – is reopened.
If you can possibly afford it, this is the summer to travel.