The first photo of the Financial Times article has everyone in the mood. The white houses of Santorini and dozens of tourists waiting for the sunset sitting on yet another of its terraces. So, holidays, Brits and more likely destinations.

A week before most schools in England and Wales close, Britons are preparing for the biggest travel movement since the pandemic. The first destinations are Greece and Turkey.

These two countries have been in the top choices of British travelers for decades, but this year bookings have seen an increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. Specifically and according to the aviation sector study company Cirium, flights to Greece and Turkey increased by 1/3 compared to 2019, with more than 8,600 flights scheduled for this year in August.

At the same time, destinations such as France, Spain and Italy, yes, remain among the top preferences of the British, but with some stagnation or a slight drop compared to 2019. The newspaper’s graph ranks Greece second in the increase in British departures compared to August of 2019.

British people are looking for all-inclusive packages so that they can “control” their wallet

Main reason for changing travel preferences… financial. The well-known all-inclusive packages seem cheaper in the most south-eastern destinations of Europe, while at the same time the parity between the British pound and the Turkish pound acted as a key incentive. It should be noted, of course, that recent figures from TUI’s British subsidiary, TravelSupermarket, show that even in cheap destinations, package tour prices have seen a 12% increase in just one year.

For example, such a one-week package in Greece, from 974 pounds per person in August 2022 went to 1,098 pounds in August 2023 while in Turkey from 902 pounds to 991 pounds.

“Everyone this summer will choose their holidays thinking more about their pocket, but no one more than the British traveller,” says Eduardo Santander, CEO of the European Tourism Commission (ETC).

It is true that the persistent inflation of the country and the steep increase in interest rates have put pressure on the daily life of the British. The commercial director of the British branch of TUI, Richard Soffer even pointed out that “while the year started strongly the rate of bookings started to decrease in June”, that is, during the period when interest rates continued to be raised by the Central Bank.