High summer demand could leave UK holidaymakers stranded

With a boom in cheap European short-haul breaks amidst the credit-crisis, holidaymakers are being warned to book all holiday extras now or expect frustration, according to one of UK’s leading European car hire specialists.

Economy Car Hire reported a 25% rise in peak-time bookings in February and predicts that holidaymakers who fail to book all their summer holiday extras by 31st March will find there is no availability.

Larger, family vehicles such as people movers and estates, as well as automatics, jeeps and convertibles are often the first cars to go during peak holiday times and many of the top hire deals have already been snapped up early by savvy holiday bookers.

“The recent clampdown on holiday truancy from schools, combined with the credit crunch, has resulted in a rise in bookings for cheap, peak holidays to popular European destinations. This has had the knock-on effect of causing sharp increases in demand for other holiday essentials such as car hire,” said Managing Director of Economy Car Hire, Rory Sexton.

“If booking car hire is left any later than March, UK holidaymakers visiting popular European destinations this summer are likely to be left stranded without a vehicle,” he said.

However, the rise in peak-time bookings is good news for those who are not restricted to travel during the school holidays. During off-peak periods in 2008, there are likely to be substantial discounts and savings available – particularly for car hire.

“Car hire booked during off-peak periods this year will be subject to some fantastic rates, deal and discounts this year and so anyone who can travel during this time should take full advantage of these offers,” said Mr Sexton.

Economy Car Hire specialises in providing one of the best fully-inclusive car rental services in 20 destinations across Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, the Greek Islands and Malta.

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