It seems not. Tory MP Philip Hollobone is renowned for his very low expense claims and being the only MP not to employ a member of staff. Maybe he should employ somebody to advise him about how travel works.
From the Mail, Tour Operators attacked for premium price school holidays.
Ministers were today urged to stop tour operators from raising their prices during school holidays.
Exactly how are they supposed to do that? It’s a called a free market. It’s called supply and demand. It happens in every industry, but somehow travel seems to be different. Most tour operators are only passing on higher rates charged by hotels and airlines during peak periods. How are ministers supposed to influence rates charged by hotels around the world?
Tory MP Philip Hollobone (Kettering, pictured) said ‘premium pricing’ was forcing some parents to take their children out of school during term time because it was the only way they could afford a holiday.
Nobody is being “forced” to take their children out of school. If parents feel they are entitled to a certain standard of holiday that they can only attain by taking their kids out of school, that is their choice, nobody is forcing them.
During Commons question time, Mr Hollobone asked: ‘Is the Government doing anything across its whole ambit of responsibilities to tackle the premium pricing which the holiday tour operators impose on family holidays?
Probably not, because “its whole ambit of responsibilities” does not include cracking down on companies who are trading well within the law.
Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said “It’s very difficult for the Government nationally to say across the country, ‘This is the best holiday pattern in every particular area’”
Why not? That’s what they do in other countries. The government doesn’t have the political will to do anything about it, even though they can. They put pressure on schools, who in turn put pressure on parents. Then when parents take their kids out of school, rather than blaming voters, they blame the travel industry.
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Well put. As a tour operator I’d far rather charge my average price for every week of the season and save myself the annual headache of working out what to charge and when. However, given the peaks and troughs of demand my business wouldn’t last long if I did.
A holiday is (or can be) an expensive purchase and a specific type of package on a popular date is not going to be within everyone’s reach (hence childhood holidays being at my Gran’s house in Darlington – I’m guessing we didn’t go there because my Dad thought it would be more fun than St Tropez).
Nonetheless I think I might ask the government to take action on restaurant pricing; I can afford a steak and chips at my local pub but not The Ivy, which I think I’d prefer…