By Humphrey Carter
NEXT weekend will provide the first clear indication as to how peak summer season is going to fair this year.
With schools in the United Kingdom breaking up for the summer holidays over the next week, Balearic airports will be preparing for the first big peak season influx with a record 40 million people leaving Britain for a summer package holiday over the next two months. Two-thirds will be heading for the traditional fashionable hot spots with Spain the number one destination, followed by France and Greece.
Nearly 11 million Britons will be coming to Spain with the Balearics still the most popular Spanish destination for British holidaymakers.
The latest holiday market indications from the United Kingdom show that package holidays have been selling very well in general and that the traditional top spots have continued to prove extremely popular, although one of the country's leading tour operators has been offering one week holidays in Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza for just £108 per person with half board included in some of the packages to three star hotels. However, on the whole, the early June price war appears to be over and those who have held out for a last minute bargain may find themselves having to pay near brochure price - a warning tour operators made over the winter in a bid to encourage people to book early. The Balearics is expecting a flood of British holidaymakers, they will either make or break this summer again, despite claims of a late surge in Balearic holiday bookings in Germany Package holiday sales in the UK for the Balearics are said to be on par with last year although the big increase this summer is being seen in the independent travel and residential market. The Atlantic islands, the Canaries and Madeira are the third most popular summer destinations, the Mediterranean holds the top spot followed by the Caribbean.