BALEARIC HOLIDAY PRICE WAR RAGING

BALEARIC travel agents are locked in a summer price war which is expected to last all summer.
President of the Balearic Association of Travel Agents, Jaume Bauzá, said yesterday that his members are going to keep offering holidays at low prices well into next month and possibly beyond. Many travel agents have decided to keep prices down in order to keep the market going - in fact in some cases there are some very attractive discounts on offer. However, Bauzá admitted that there is a growing concern in the Balearics about the continual rise in the price of fuel which is going to make it difficult for travel agents to maintain their competitive prices should airlines, especially the charter sector, start to put their air fares up. The sales strategy appears to be working with an estimated four to six percent increase in the number of Balearic residents going on holiday this year. The key sales period is between the end of September and December - this is when 55 percent of holidays are sold. With regards to holidaymakers coming to the Balearics, Bauza expects to see a three percent increase.