- The development of the price of oil between May and September will decide the prices of holidays.
- With the current increase in fuel prices, tours may increase by five percent.
- The price of aviation fuel in Europe increased by one hundred and thirty-two percent year-on-year.
The price of oil from May to September will have a decisive influence on the prices of summer vacations for organized tours with travel agencies. At the moment, it is therefore premature to predict whether the prices of summer holidays will increase due to the introduction of fuel surcharges, Tomáš Lazarov, sales director of travel agency (CK) Hydrotour, told TASR.
“Current developments may indicate such a scenario, but past experience shows that in the event of a significant de-escalation of the situation in the Middle East, there may be a relatively quick correction of fuel prices back to their original levels,” confirmed Lazarov in connection with the significant increase in the price of aviation fuel. He estimated the price increase of tours compared to 2025 at an average of 3 to 5%. “We have long-term contracts and we have been working with some partners for more than 20 years, so we manage to keep the increase at very acceptable levels,” he noted.
According to CK Satur, it is currently not possible to clearly determine the specific percentage increase in the prices of tours, as they are affected by several factors, including fuel prices, capacity and demand development. “At this moment, we have not adjusted the tour prices additionally, and the current increased costs have not yet been reflected in the prices for clients. Considering the development of the situation, we do not rule out that higher costs may be reflected especially in the prices of last minute tours,” said Satur Travel media manager Petra Trnčíková for TASR.
A high increase in the price of aviation fuel due to the situation in the Middle East, according to the chief economist of Trinity Bank Lukáš Kovanda, may significantly increase the prices of holidays and limit flights in the coming months. The International Air Transport Association reported that the average price of jet fuel in Europe increased year-on-year by 132%, in Asia by 163%.
Even before the main summer season of 2026, according to travel agencies, there is the greatest interest in vacations in sought-after Mediterranean countries. “Clients are currently more inclined towards European countries, with growing interest in Greece, Spain, Italy and Croatia in particular. At the same time, we are also registering interest in Turkey, Egypt and Cyprus, which are among the long-term most popular summer holiday countries,” Trnčíková said. One of the novelties is, for example, the Greek island of Karpathos (between Crete and Rhodes).
According to Hydrotour, Turkey maintains the highest interest for a long time due to the attractive ratio of price and quality of services. Demand is growing especially for the Aegean Riviera around Dalaman, Didim, Bodrum and Izmir. “Stable high interest also persists in Greece and its islands. At the same time, demand for Spain has increased significantly recently,” Lazarov explained. These are mainly the islands of Formentera, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza (Balearic Islands) and the city of Almería on the mainland.
According to Satur, after the outbreak of war in the Middle East, people pay more attention to the security situation and constantly consider their decisions when choosing a vacation. “We do not see a significant decrease in interest in vacations. Rather, we perceive a more cautious behavior of clients and, in some cases, a redirection of interest to closer destinations,” explained Trnčíková. They have canceled selected flights to Oman and the United Arab Emirates until the end of May. “Further developments will depend on the situation in the region, which we continuously monitor in cooperation with partners and airlines,” she added.
After the start of the conflict, Hydrotour saw a slight decrease in interest in holidays in Turkey and Cyprus. In recent days, sales have returned to standard levels, even slightly increased, which is probably the result of partially delayed demand from March.
“Holidays to destinations in the Middle East – Bahrain, Qatar and Oman – are currently suspended until May 7, while we are also operatively adjusting the flight schedule,” said Lazarov. They expect that after the situation stabilizes, interest in these destinations will gradually return to the standard level.
“At this moment, it is difficult to accurately estimate the time horizon of further development, we are continuously monitoring and evaluating the situation,” added the representative of Hydrotour. According to him, flights will resume only at the moment when geopolitical conditions make it possible and they can guarantee the absolute safety of clients.
