Tickets for less than €200 for the Seychelles, but here are the risks
Assoutenti: for those departing between May and June, it costs less than EUR 200 to land in the Seychelles, but the risk is that in the coming weeks, also due to jet-fuel price increases, air fares to closer and typically summery destinations such as Greece or Spain will rise sharply
Key points
The crisis in the Middle East also has another side to the coin and could lead to advantages for those booking a flight today to a foreign or exotic destination. This is what Assoutenti, which has monitored air fares for a number of tourist destinations in the Indian Ocean and Asia, is highlighting. At the same time, there is a real risk that airfares to closer and typically summer destinations such as Greece or Spain will rise sharply in the coming weeks, also due to jet-fuel price increases.
Not only: if one buys a ticket now for next summer, one does so, in a certain sense, 'in the dark', since certain factors, which are already emerging today - think of the fuel crunch that is affecting some airports - in a few months' time could become even more pronounced, with the risk of leaving passengers stranded. Moreover, some airports, whether destination or even stopover, could be affected by the war.
The effect of the crisis in the Middle East on summer bookings
Summer bookings to foreign destinations, as confirmed by tourism sector operators, are paying the bill for the current crisis,' explains Assoutenti. 'Italians prefer to wait before booking a flight or a holiday, or opt for domestic or closer destinations, considered safer. This is also due to the uncertainty that has characterised the air transport sector in recent weeks, with the fuel crisis and the risk of upcoming cuts to connections.
'Airplanes bound for certain areas of the world thus remain empty and, in the absence of demand, the algorithms that regulate airline fares are forced to lower prices,' explains president Gabriele Melluso. 'Added to this is the marketing strategy adopted by some Gulf carriers, which, in order not to fly at a loss, have in recent days launched special discounts on certain routes in order to entice people to leave.
L’indagine
Assoutenti's research examines air fares charged by airlines at the beginning of March to fly in August, comparing them with today's fares: it turns out that to go from Milan to Maldive, leaving on 9 August and returning on 16 August, if in the first days of March it cost around 1,470 euros, today it is enough to spend 1,056 euros, with a drop in ticket prices of 28%. From Rome to Capo Verde, on the same dates, spending goes from €1,104 to €849 (-23%) in a month. It costs 18% less to fly from Rome or Milan to Sharm el-Sheikh in the middle week of August. Flights from Rome to Zanzibar and from Milan to the Seychelles are also now 18% cheaper than at the beginning of March.
