More and more people swap turkey and ham for paella by the pool
This year thousands of Irish people will enjoy Christmas in the outdoors either sitting by the pool or taking strolls along sun-kissed beaches. And chances are their only over-indulgence will be in relaxation.
“It’s a much healthier way to spend Christmas than sitting at home. Our clients say they end up drinking a lot less alcohol during the week,” says Fergus Kilkelly, director of the Irish Travel Agents Association.
Booking a package holiday to the Canary Islands at this time of year is approximately 30% more expensive than at other times, but cost doesn’t deter bookings and repeat business is common.
A week at a standard three-star hotel in Lanzarotte during the peak period at Christmas will cost approximately €600 per person, while the cost per child averages at €470.
Families and couples regularly return to the same hotels year in, year out, according to Mr Kilkelly, and most people book the holiday at least six months in advance.
For those who are not so organised about booking in advance, three day packages to Lapland are nearly always available to book at the drop of a hat in the run-up to Christmas. This year Lapland packages from Shannon are being offered by Kilkelly Travel for €299 per person. The package includes two nights accommodation, trips to Santa’s workshop, and Christmas dinner.
“This trip is the ideal way to treat any child to a fantastic break. Customers generally do this trip in the weeks leading up to Christmas day,” said Mr Kilkelly.
Having a barbecue on Sydney’s Bondi Beach (dubbed County Bondi by the Irish living there) is a distinct possibility for anyone with Irish connections living in Australia, but if you feel like making the trip Down Under to visit family or friends during the festive season, be prepared to pay high season flight prices.
The World Discovery fare, which allows passengers to stop at seven different locations around the globe, is a very popular travelling option, especially for people in their twenties.
Australia Discount Travel, with offices in Dublin and Naas, quote a price of 1595 (plus tax) for World Discovery fares from January 15 to March 31. But in the month of December the fare is considerably higher at €2,135.
Spending Christmas week exploring the markets of Casablanca and other cities in Morocco is an alternative option to waiting for the sales shopping rush to kick in at home. Dublin-based Gold Travel were quoting a price of €779 per person for a one-week stay at a four-star hotel in Agidir during the festive season. Similar to one week packages in the Canary Islands, all places were booked well in advance.
At the time of writing, Gold Travel had just one or two flight-only deals to Lanzarotte available, but the agent stressed there were likely to be a few cancellations before Christmas Eve.
According to Cork travel agent Bernard Hayes there were the same number of early bookings in late 2002 for summer holidays as there were the previous year. He said the recent downturn in the Irish economy had not affected demand for holidays and urged consumers to book well in advance for 2003 summer holidays.
Last year 1.5 million sun holidays were sold out of Ireland, the highest number ever recorded.
Skiing holidays were a popular option for families at this time of year, with most people flocking to resorts in Austria and Andorra, he said: “Those who have booked during the festive period are paying premium rates. Anyone willing to wait until the first week of January will get a holiday a lot cheaper.”
For example, he quoted a basic price of €879 for a one-week stay at a three star hotel located in the Westendorf resort in Austria between Christmas and the New Year. A week later the same trip was quoted at just €689.
When it comes to skiing trips families should remember the added costs of ski hire, renting boots, lift passes and other extras generally come to between €300 to €350 per person.
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