Cost of travelling to Spain expected to rise further, Thomas Cook says
Thomas Cook Group
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16:45 20/09/19
The cost of travelling to Spain is expected to rise by an additional 5% to 10% next year due to the weakness of sterling, even as other Mediterranean destinations regain the favour of holidaymakers, said Thomas Cook.
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Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, chief executive Peter Fankhauser said that Spain's newfound popularity due to security concerns elsewhere was another factor driving prices higher.
Demand was so strong that the travel operator was facing a shortage of beds, he said.
Indeed, as a result Spanish hoteliers were "taking a bit of an advantage" of increased demand; however, according to Frankhauser those higher profits were being reinvested in improving their facilities.
Meanwhile, on the opposite shore of the Mediterranean, there was evidence of people returning to Turkey and Egypt, which were "wonderful destinations" that offered "great value for money".
Last month, the travel agent had resumed selling holidays in Tunisia to British clients for the first time since the attack on Sousse in 2015.
Trips to the North African country were set to restat in February 2018, after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office eased its travel advice to the region.
Thomas Cook added that it informed customers as well as possible about the potential risks of travelling so that they can then take better-informed decisions themselves on where they want to travel to.