The spread of coronavirus has sparked bargain travel deals as holiday uncertainty looms.
While the outbreak is wreaking havoc on the travel industry, with flights cancelled and drops in the number of travellers, there's been a marked reduction in the cost of a break.
Based on data looking at live prices available between Friday, February 28 and Monday, March 2, research from comparison site TravelSupermarket shows the average price for a holiday abroad in 2020 is £559.22 - down 4% on 2018 prices.
The outbreak has also affected the popularity of some top tourist hotspots - in particular those that have seen a large number of cases.
Both Italy and the Canary Islands have experienced a massive drop in the number of UK holidaymakers searching for spring and summer breaks.
The biggest year-on-year drops in searches seen for the following destinations:
- Venice -83%
- Costa Brava -83%
- Sardinia -76%
- Tenerife -75%
- Fuerteventura -71%
However searches for holidays in the USA has dramatically increased, while Tenerife still ranks as one of the most popular - despite seeing a huge drop in searches.
Most popular destinations searched for by UK holidaymakers:
- New York, USA
- Las Vegas, USA
- Majorca, Balearic Islands
- Benidorm, Costa Blanca, Spain
- Orlando area, USA
- Costa Del Sol, Spain
- Dubai, UAE
- Maldives
- Tenerife, Canary Islands
- Antalya, Turkey
And as uncertainty continues, TravelSupermarket has also seen demand for travel insurance rise by 85% in the last nine days alone - as holidaymakers seek to protect themselves and their holidays.
TravelSupermarket’s travel commentator, Emma Grimster said: “Despite Coronavirus dominating the news, people are still searching for holidays and trying to get the best deal they can.
“Advice for people going ahead and booking either a last-minute deal, or a holiday later in the year, is to purchase a travel insurance policy as soon as you book.
"Read the detail to make sure you know exactly what your policy covers you for, and if in doubt, call up your provider to chat it though.”
Top 15 destinations which have seen the biggest price drops for April-August 2020 vs 2019:
| 2020 price | 2019 price | Change | |
| Kos Island, Greek Islands, Greece | £418.14 | £620.03 | -33% |
| Phuket Town, Phuket, Thailand | £657.51 | £882.14 | -25% |
| St Lucia, Saint Lucia | £1,343.30 | £1,756.81 | -24% |
| Side, Antalya, Turkey | £470.63 | £598.02 | -21% |
| Salou, Costa Dorada, Spain | £318.27 | £363.84 | -13% |
| Prague, Czech Republic | £196.04 | £221.92 | -12% |
| Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain | £415.53 | £468.30 | -11% |
| Costa Dorada, Spain | £337.72 | £380.57 | -11% |
| Mauritius | £1,375.49 | £1,548.65 | -11% |
| Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain | £438.34 | £488.96 | -10% |
| Marbella, Costa Del Sol, Spain | £373.32 | £401.23 | -7% |
| Barbados | £1,269.24 | £1,345.20 | -6% |
| Maldives | £1,492.73 | £1,573.59 | -5% |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates | £752.79 | £786.59 | -4% |
| Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal | £443.64 | £462.41 | -4% |
