joeyc - I got my information from my other half who also works "in the industry". TC have sold practically all their holidays to Zante from Glasgow during the summer months, Corfu and Rhodes are not far behind either. TC have not reduced the number of flights from Glasgow this year either although I appreciate that might not be the case across the whole of the UK. Despite there being more flights to the likes of Egypt, Turkey, Bulgaria, Tunisia etc like you say, Greece is still fighting its corner and remains the second or third destination of choice for most people.

TC and other tour operators are charging far too much for a 2 week package holiday.
We have done Rhodes, Kos, Corfu etc.. wanted to go to Parga this year. A 2 week SC package depating end of June will cost you over £1000 for 2 people. The place we like the look of will cost me and my wife £1,250 for 2 weeks SC
These sort of prices will surely put people off going to Greece.

hi..intervoice you are so right...when I paid £2842 for 4adults for 2 wks AI in gran caneria for middle of july....so £1431 for 2....therfore £180 difference for 2wks AI for 2adults....will make a difference that matters with the euro being high and people being less well of because of the wage freezes and higher bills....tweeie

Even after holidaying in Lefkas last year and feeling totally ripped off we looked at Parga for August but for 2 adults and our son (aged 15) it was over £2000 SC and not particularly outstanding accommodation. We also looked at DIY to Corfu but could not justify the price of flights and accommodation. We are giving Majorca a try and we have booked a fabulous villa for us 3 and and 2 friends for a lot less than a package to Greece in very basic acccommodation. We thought long and hard about it because we would have much preferred to spend our money in Greece but at the end of the day ................

You can still get package hols to Rhodes, Zante, Coru etc.. for a 'reasonable' price, and even better deals if you leave it last minute.
However to places like Parga it is costing a hell of a lot more.

Last year we went to Turkey as it is not in the Euro zone, thinking it will be chaper for food/drink etc.. It wasn't. The prices were comparable, and in a lot of cases, more than Greece.
We spent the entire holiday wishing we had gone to Greece.
So, even though the prices are high, we will go to Greece this year by hook or by crook, probably a late deal. I don't want the 'wish we had gone to Greece' feeling ever again.

It depends what you are looking for, Greece and Spain are two completely different types of holiday in my opinion and much in the same way I wouldn't compare going to the Caribbean with Greece I wouldn't compare Spain with going to Greece.

If you are looking for a holiday on a budget then Greece is probably not the ideal place to go. We don't chose Greece because it is cheap, we chose it because it has fantastic food and a more traditional feel to it. You can eat in a huge number of restaurants in Greece and you would be hard done by to have a bad meal, I feel the opposite is true of Spain where finding a nice restaurant serving traditional Spanish fare is hard to come buy, let alone it being any good when it arrives on the plate.

TWEETIE PIE - Some would argue that the exchange rate on the euro is no worse than it was last year, sure it hit a low that lasted for a week or so but the pound hit back pretty sharply. Some are even suggesting that it may be the case that we see the pound get even stronger which will give you more spending power abroad than last year. Same applies to bills, the cost of living in general is lower now than it was this time last year. Electricity/Gas providers have all dropped their prices since last year and the average shopping basket is cheaper also. I appreciate some people may have a lower income now, but to be honest that is not Greece' concern. I think it would be very foolish to think that if Greece puts its prices up marginally its tourism trade would crumble.

Bargains to Greece are available.
Olympic holidays are offering 1 week for £140 and 2 weeks for £175 to Skiathos departing 7th May

Its lovely and warm out here as will be the welcome

I agree you can still do Greece on a budget, we managed to get 11 nights BB in Tsilivi in a cracking hotel for £675 for two people. We have stayed in the same hotel before (Hotel Contessina) so know exactly what we are getting.

Its more about booking at the right time, we checked earlier in the year and the exact same holiday was just over £1k so it pays to make the effort and track prices.

Have bit the bullet and booked 2 weeks S/C in Parga staying at the Terra Verde apartmaents with Thomson. Cost - just under £1000 for the 2 of us.
Now all we need is the flights to start up again!

im off to parga 20th june cant wait first time

there are still bargains to be found, think it just depends on when and where you look. i got a 2 week self catering in kos for me and my partner for £520 for the both of us, this was through the thomascook website. were departing 13.05.2010 so i will keep an eye on the prices out there and report back when i return.

Our friends have just had a nightmare in Greece (kos), first their flight was delayed for 1 day because of the general strike, then when they did eventually get their all the public transport was again on strike, lots of other issues that made it a disastrous destination at this point in time, be careful anyone that is going as it's affecting the islands too!

mark__uk - can you enlarge on "other issues" ?? eg have there been power cuts/water shortages??

Hi - new person SunGirl here. Reading through this thread, I am bemused by the prices people are prepared to pay to go away! I have been using alphharooms for 3 years now - and have so far booked via that site for holidays to Turkey, Portugal and most recently, for 6 days in Kos Town for hubby and me for late September. This last booking cost us a total of £500 for flights with greta times, nice b&b and transfers. In April, I went to Algarve (a pretty, quiet part) for 6 days on my own - this cost me just over £150 - again, including flights, b&b and transfers. The best thing about using such sites is that you retain all the control of an independent traveller and can choose exactly the location, accomodation and flights you want but you also get the saftey/certainty of transfers etc. They are fully ABTA covered and so far I have not experienced any problems with them. I suppose it isn't too good for package operators (although you can also choose package option to travel with a range of companies) but I need my holidays and resent having to pay through the nose for them - plus the fact that you don't seem to get much control over where, what etc when you're relying on another person to input all the info and, too often, tell you 'computer says no'. Why are not more people going this route to fiind and book their holidays?

Why are not more people going this route to fiind and book their holidays

many do already either make their own holiday or purchase a dynamic package [flight and hotel] but many others will not,as these holidays do not have the protection granted with a fully packaged holiday [see both the complaint and tour operator forums which are littered with complaints or problems]

yasus
wizard

I can myself testify to the unrealistic prices charged by tour operator for holidays to Greece,i know a great many accomodation owners on Rodos,aswell as my other half working for one of the big companies so i'm pretty in the know when it comes to how much the travel companies pay per bed,per night,in recent years in the bigger resorts these rates have dropped and dropped due to various factors including the lower standards in greece,this has made many hoteliers reject contracts from British companies,say TC are offering 6E PBPN for the summer and and Czech operator are offering 10-12E,they naturally sell off a certain number,if not all their rooms to the latter,however not all do so as many of them prefer British guests so they take the lower paying contract,yet the tour operator doesn't pass on this saving to the holidaymaker,instead they use just inflate the prices even further to create bigger profit margins. It's a silly tactic in the eyes of most as it puts many off of booking Greece,instead heading for Turkey,Bulgaria etc,or Spain where it has to be said standards are MUCH higher,and the low outlay for the Tour operator means they can afford the losses.
I personally know of hotels/apartments that haven't had a refurb or even a lick of paint in 10 years,yet the operators are selling them for more than double per week on average than they were selling them at 5 years ago. They're pushing people out of the market and on towards the new non-euro hotspots in an effort to create a new boom for themselves.

As for online independent travel,this is fine and commonly used obviously,and it's on the increase yearly,but the bulk of people will still use the main operators,especially to unfamiliar destinations or if they require kids clubs and the like,plus the protection a package brings.

When we go off on breaks thoughout the year, we always book flight & accomodation separately, using the no frills airlines. Unfortunately during peak seasons, it doesn't work out any cheaper, in fact usually more expensive than with the large Travel Operators.

Helen T wrote:

When we go off on breaks thoughout the year, we always book flight & accomodation separately, using the no frills airlines. Unfortunately during peak seasons, it doesn't work out any cheaper, in fact usually more expensive than with the large Travel Operators.

Agreed!

Although I appreciate it may be of benefit to people flying from major UK airports I have looked into it in depth and have never found a cheaper deal independantly than flying with a tour operator. We (2 adults) regularly go to Greece from Glasgow and will be returning to the Contessina Hotel in Tsilivi via Thomas Cook for 11 nights at a cost of approx £600 for 11 nights B&B for a double room.

I have rarely been able to gett he flights for less than the cost of the package deal and when trying to book the hotel independantly we are being quoted in the region of £1000 for the same stay!

Booking independantly is fine provided there is a significant saving but I have never been able to find a saving of any kind. Booking a package deal offers additional protection and before booking flights and accomodation independantly I would be looking to make a significant saving ie 15%% + of what I can get a package deal for.