Much more money must be planned for this year’s summer vacation than a year ago. This applies to all popular travel destinations. “Greece and Spain have become particularly expensive and, to a lesser extent, also Italy, Croatia and Turkey,” said Helga Freund, board member of the Verkehrsbüro Group (Ruefa Reisen, Eurotours, Austria Trend Hotels) , to “Kurier” (Monday). Industry experts speak of price increases of 20 to 30 percent – and more.
The tourist office calculated how prices for specific holidays at selected hotels evolved over comparable travel periods. This summer, a tourist in Mallorca pays 3,331 euros a week in a 4-star hotel (per person in a double room) – a year ago the price was 2,392 euros.
Compared to the summer before the corona pandemic, prices are up to 50-60%. An all-inclusive holiday at a 5-star resort in Turkey, for example, has become noticeably more expensive. While the price for a week in 2019 was 3,440 euros (for two adults and two children), it is currently 5,533 euros per family. In 2019 three weeks in Gran Canaria were still available for 2,140 euros, this year you have to calculate more than 3,000 euros for the same trip.
According to tourism expert Freund, everyone involved in the value chain is responsible for the price increase. “Airlines, hotels, transfers, local service providers – all partners have raised their prices. The main drivers are raw materials, water, electricity, gasoline and of course personnel costs.”
Gregor Kadanka, head of Mondial and spokesman for the travel agency industry, cites another reason – the very strong dollar and the weak euro for too long. The dollar is the key currency of the tourism industry. If it is high, it will be more expensive in all euro countries. The euro has rebounded recently, but that won’t stop the wave of summer inflation. Because travel agencies are already buying quotas for 2024.
Airline tickets: those who book in advance have an advantage
Travelers pay a wide range of prices for airline tickets, depending on the date of booking. Pricing is based on aircraft occupancy and increases as the departure date approaches. “The tickets that are bought at the end are always the most expensive ones”, stressed Kadanka, dispelling hopes of a last-minute bargain. This has long been more of an advertising smear than a really cheap way to book.
From his point of view, those who are flexible in terms of time and place take better vacations. “You can get away cheap with good advice and timely bookings,” says the travel agency expert. “If you really want to go to San Francisco by a certain date, you’re going to have to pay more.” Kadanka estimates that a flight to the United States currently costs an average of 30% more than it did before the pandemic. However, this has little meaning for the individual case. Depending on the departure date, you can pay a few hundred euros more or less.
In general, however, flights have become more expensive, not least because seats are scarce. According to the report, the machines are still literally stranded in the desert because spare parts are missing for maintenance – keywords supply chain issues. At the same time, wanderlust has been reborn around the world – especially in the US, where domestic tourism is booming. There too, you now need a significantly larger travel budget. “Onsite services, from hotels to restaurants, cost about 25% more than they did before the pandemic,” noted Kadanka.