The contagion situation at a number of popular destinations around the Mediterranean is becoming a nightmare for the tourism industry. What were supposed to be safe and green destinations have become dark red corona destinations.
Cheaper in Norway
And those who had planned an affordable and long-awaited late summer vacation to the Greek islands must make new vacation plans. For many of them, a holiday trip in Norway will be a good and attractive alternative. At least if we are talking about “value for money”. Where prices in Summer Norway have been 30 per cent higher than the record summer last year, prices are now sharply returning.
And it is possible to make a holiday bargain at home. A quick price check shows that the prices of accommodation are reduced by 20-50 percent just after school starts in August.
The seven worst seats in the plane
Cancels
Late summer is usually a golden opportunity to get to the south for a much lower price than what families with children have to pay during the school holidays.
But this year, this opportunity is missed for many. Because the contagion situation on popular holiday islands such as Crete and Rhodes is developing in the wrong direction, and Tui was out early to cancel several departures to Crete. And when do the other companies follow suit.
Next summer: The sale of summer holidays for next year is well underway, the charter companies report. Photo: Odd Roar Lange / The Travel Inspector
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Now more are following.
– We will stop flights to these destinations on 21 August and look at what happens over the autumn, says CEO Erik Haug of Apollo.
At the tour operator Ving, it became clear last Friday that the scheduled trips to Rhodes will be canceled.
– We have so far chosen to postpone some of these trips until later this autumn, and hope for an improvement in the infection situation, says head of Ving in Norway, Eva Marie-Anne Zakrisson.
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It is both the increase in infection at the destinations, and the tightening of the rules for entry to Norway that is the reason for the changes.
– There are many who refuse to book trips right now. This is probably due to a combination of the fact that there have been good sun conditions in many places in Norway this summer, infection flourishing, forest fires and that it has been complicated for many to understand the entry rules. We are already seeing good sales for next summer, so we can hope for a better summer season next year, says Zakrisson.
Do not buy this at the airport
Money or value card?
– What rights do travelers have when trips are canceled?
– We offer the money back within seven days, or opportunities to rebook to other destinations now or later, or to get money back in the form of a gift card with a higher denomination than what it has paid, says Zakrisson.
At Tui, which has its last departures to Crete on August 8, no more cancellations have been decided so far than those that were ready last week.
Be notified when the price drops
– We review our capacity on an ongoing basis, and much depends on the demand ahead, says Nora Aspengren, communications manager at Tui.
You are entitled to this
Cancellations can come at short notice if the infection situation worsens. Then it is smart to know their rights.
If the travel company cancels, you must have your money back within 14 days at the latest. In practice, the money is repaid within seven days.
If you choose to accept the money in the form of a security / gift card, you must remember that this is to be regarded as an unsecured claim should the company go bankrupt.
You must read up on the booking conditions for your trip. There you will find a full overview of which cancellation rules apply from travel.
In essence, this is what applies:
- Full refund if you cancel more than 60 days before departure.
- Cancellation within fourteen days before departure = You get your money back, minus deposit.
- You can change the order e.g. to a later time / new place once free of charge without losing your money.
- Cancellation that you make later than 14 days = then the money is lost.
- If the cancellation is due to an acute illness, you can also get money back from the travel insurance when you cancel later than 14 days before departure. However, it does not cover that you are worried about the corona situation.
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