There is still a pandemic, there is a war in Europe, and inflation is going through the roof. In hard times like these, a lot of people want to go on vacation. But even going on vacation isn’t as simple as it used to be. The pandemic has been going on for more than two years, and it has affected a lot of people. It has given them existential fears and worries about their jobs. Just as restrictions were lifted around Europe, Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24. This made people all over the world feel even more uneasy and uncertain.
It’s easy to see why so many people need a break. After all, a vacation is a chance to take a break and chill out. But the current crises also have an effect on the travel business.
Costs of flights and hotels are going up
Anyone looking for flights right now might be wondering why they seem to have gotten more expensive in recent months. Prices are going up, and there are two main reasons why.
“In general, the price of gas is going up, and the price of oil is at a record high. Guests are also feeling the effects of this in the prices of airline tickets, which are going up because of this “German airline Condor’s Johanna Tillmann told DW. Even airlines are paying more for fuel, so it’s not just car owners who are paying more at the pump.
“We are also seeing what happens when people wait too long to go on vacation. This affects the prices of plane tickets and hotels, especially during the busy season, because prices are based on how much people want them “Tillmann told me.
Hotels also have to deal with prices that are going up. Oil, gas, electricity, and food all cost more for them. On top of that, many hotels do not have enough skilled workers. During the worst of the pandemic, hotels were empty and many people left their jobs to find other ones.
In some ways, the hospitality industry needs to offer incentives, mostly financial ones, to get people to work there. The extra costs are partly paid for by charging guests more for their rooms.
What about vacation packages?
Costs are also affecting so-called “package vacations,” which are trips where people book a package that includes a flight, hotel, and transfer to and from the hotel.
Check24, a German website that compares travel prices, says that package tours to places that German tourists like to visit are more expensive than they were last year. The price of an average one-week package vacation for two people to Mallorca, Spain, booked in May for the months of June through August 2022 is 17 percent higher than it was last year. “Even though the prices are good, the price increases are most noticeable in Side and Alanya on the coast of Turkey. There, a one-week summer vacation for two people is now 45 percent more expensive than it was last summer “In an interview with DW, Martin Zier, who is in charge of package tours at Check24, said, “It’s summer.”
Putting more money into travel
Still, not everyone has stopped traveling because prices are going up. The German Travel Association (DRV), which represents Germany’s travel industry, says that German travelers are spending more money and booking more expensive trips now because they didn’t travel much for two years. “People who used to only book with breakfast now book all-inclusive packages, and people who used to only book three-star hotels now book four-star ones. And many people on vacation are going away for longer than usual, “DRV spokesman Torsten Schafer told the press about it.
Lufthansa, a German airline, has seen the same thing. “Getting seats in Business Class and First Class is hard right now. They are the first ones to be full “said Lufthansa press spokesperson Bettina Rittberger. Many people haven’t been on vacation in two years, but now that they’ve saved money, they want to have fun. The German Travel Association says that this summer there is a lot of demand for flights to the Mediterranean, especially to Spain, Greece, and Turkey.
Schafer says that when it comes to package tours, prices are pretty much guaranteed to stay the same. This is because tour operators usually buy the groups from hotels and airlines the year before, when the economy was better. So, tourists who book early can expect to pay less. But if the tour operators run out of the things they have already bought and have to buy more, the price could go up.
Don’t forget about the extra costs
This summer, travelers should plan for some extra costs when making their budgets. There’s a chance that prices have gone up at a lot of the restaurants, clubs, and cafes at the vacation spot.
There’s also the matter of the rental car. Check24 can help you rent a car in 20 countries for an average of just over €34 ($36) per day in 2019. This year, the average daily rate is about €74 ($79), which is more than double what it was last year.
There are also things that don’t have to do with money that can make traveling harder right now. Like the hotel business, many airports don’t have enough staff. This has led to very long lines at security checkpoints, less staff at airline check-in counters, and a lack of people who work on planes on the ground.
At Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, things are very bad. Some people have had to wait for hours to check in or get on their flights. In order to keep things from getting worse, KLM airline had to cut back on selling tickets for flights to and from Amsterdam.
In short, anyone who wants to go on vacation should start planning early and not count on deals at the last minute. Also, don’t be surprised if the trip costs more than it did the year before. If people are lucky, they may be able to forget about the crisis, war, or pandemic for a few precious moments while they are on vacation this summer. No one knows what will happen in the future.
Information Source: Hindustan Times
