The Olympic exodus

Long-haul operator Hayes & Jarvis (H&J) confirms a rise in late bookings for holiday departures from mid-July through to mid-August.

With May bookings for the rest of the summer up 24 per cent, year on year, the company believes a fair chunk of the great British public is planning to join an Olympic exodus.

Niel Alobaidi, H&J commercial director, says: “Up until quite recently there was no suggestion that the Olympics had much of an impact on bookings.

“However, there are now clear signs that many people want to get away from a fortnight of solid sport. Of course, this may have more to do with the strength of the pound and the great value package deals available than with Olympics torpor.”

Matt Hall at lowcostholidays.com adds: “We are seeing a 65 per cent surge in enquiries from people keen to get out through London airports during the Olympics period and hoteliers in many destinations are coming up with some fantastic deals.

“Currently you can book seven nights’ all-inclusive on Menorca at the end of July from £229, with flights ex-Gatwick; seven nights’ half-board on the Costa Brava from £199, and room-only accommodation on Ibiza from £250.”

At Teletext Holidays, searches for holidays during the Olympic period are significantly ahead of last year.

Teletext Holidays managing director Victoria Sanders says: “Even in the last few weeks we’ve seen a peak in web traffic for holiday searches during the Games. The closer it gets, the more people realise that it could be a good time to get out. Despite all the hype, many people don’t feel any connection to the sporting events, while others are actively against the Games when the country is in recession.

“On social network sites like Facebook and Twitter people are saying they want holiday ideas for being as far away as possible from London and the crowds.”

Many travellers just want to get across the Irish Sea to escape likely travel chaos on mainland Britain around the Olympics, says Declan Mescall at Irish Ferries, which operates hotel and self-catering holidays in Southern Ireland. “Our bookings for that period are about 20-30 per cent ahead of the same weeks last year,” he says.