Run on last minute flights as Netherlands summer weather remains wet, cool

With the weather set to remain wet and dreary for a while yet and Schiphol Airport proving able to handle the summer crowds, Netherlands residents are rushing to book last-minute holidays to sunnier spots, De Telegraaf reports after surveying travel companies.

Sunweb saw the number of bookings increase by 40 percent compared to two weeks ago. And also saw a large number of last-minute bookings in July.

At PrijsVrij, two out of three bookings are currently made last minute. Turkey and Greece are popular destinations. “We see that more and more popular hotels are sold out for the summer. In general, we do not see that last minutes are getting much more expensive,” Joery Keizer of PrijsVrij told the newspaper. Trips to Rhodes, where travelers had to be evacuated over large wildfires last month, are currently 25 percent cheaper, and bookings are picking up.

Spain and Greece are the most popular destinations for last-minute bookers, according to research by VakantieDiscounter. People who waited until the last minute to book their summer vacation got some good deals as travel companies offered massive discounts and specials over the past few weeks.

But they also have to deal with the fact that some destinations are already fully booked. “A lot is already full, but the best chance of sun in the short term is to Curacao, Bonaire, the Canary Islands, and Turkey, Petra Kok of TUI told the Telegraaf.

Last-minute travel gained popularity during the coronavirus crisis, when restrictions were implemented with no warning and many flights got canceled. Against the expectations of the travel agency, the trend doesn’t seem to be disappearing.