Coronavirus sparks bargain travel deals – should you book? - Telegraph.co.uk

Posted: 02 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PST

Right now, in the midst of the global coronavirus crisis, the idea of booking a holiday might not seem particularly appealing.

Tales of locked-down cruise ships, quarantined hotels and cancelled flights are understandably causing jitters, with significant financial repercussions for the travel industry.

One upshot is that a growing number of cheap travel deals are emerging, to destinations like Italy, Tenerife and south-east Asia, which are all currently receiving attention for the wrong reasons.

Low-cost airlines are listing flights to Venice and Milan for under £20 each way, while some operators are selling week-long holidays to Tenerife in March for as low as £267.

So the question is, should you snap these deals up, or hold fire until the coronavirus outbreak is brought under control?

Here we take a look at some of the holiday deals that have emerged since the coronavirus outbreak, and advise on whether it would be a sensible idea to book.

Fly to Milan for £19

Both easyJet and Ryanair are offering low air fares to Milan at the moment. Flying for a long weekend, leaving on Friday March 20 and returning on Monday March 23, Ryanair has tickets from £38 return and easyJet has tickets from £39 return.

Is it a good idea? There have been 403 cases of coronavirus in Lombardy, the region that Milan falls in. Across Italy there have been 655 cases in total. The Foreign Office does not have any travel advisories against Milan, although it does advise against "all but essential travel" to ten small villages in the Lombardy region, and one village in Veneto.

British Airways and easyJet have both cancelled some flights in and out of Italy due to low demand, which is a consideration as it could affect your holiday. There's also the fact that if you return from Milan and show flu-like symptoms, the current Public Health England advice is to call NHS 111 and self-isolate for 14 days. You can see our advice on travel to Italy, here.

Milan is reportedly much quieter than usual, after the outbreak of coronavirus in northern Italy Credit: Getty

A week in Venice for £199

British Airways is offering flights and a week at the four-star Ambasciatori hotel in Venice for just £199. easyJet are also offering return flights for under £40 on select dates in March.

Is it a good idea? There have been 111 cases of coronavirus in Veneto, the Italian region that Venice falls in. The Foreign Office does not have any travel advisories against Venice, although it does advise against "all but essential travel" to the village of Vo' Euganeo, around 40 miles from Venice, as well as ten villages in Lombardy that have seen outbreaks of coronavirus.

As with Milan, if you return from Venice and show flu-like symptoms, the current Public Health England advice is to call NHS 111 and self-isolate. You can see our advice on travel to Italy, here.

The Venice Carnival finished two days early due to coronavirus Credit: Getty

A week in Tenerife for £267

First Choice is offering a week at the Tui SUNEO Tamaimo Tropical in Tenerife, departing on May 11, for £267. Jet2holidays has similarly cheap deals, offering a week at the three-star GF Noelia from £379 (flights and accommodation included; both depart on Saturday March 21, 2020).

Is it a good idea? A hotel in Tenerife – the four-star H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in Adeje – was put on lockdown this week after an Italian doctor and his wife tested positive for coronavirus. There were around 1,000 guests staying at the hotel, some of whom have now been released. As it stands, there is no evidence of a wider outbreak of coronavirus on the Canary Island. The Foreign Office does not advise against travelling to the country, but simply says: "You should comply with any additional screening measures put in place by the authorities." You can see our advice on travel to Tenerife, here.

Guests were told they could not leave the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in Adeje after an outbreak of coronavirus Credit: AP

Beijing, return, for £330

China Southern is offering return flights from London to Beijing (via Amsterdam) from an eye-wateringly cheap £330, departing on April 9 and returning on Thursday April 23.

Is it a good idea? The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to mainland China, and against all travel to Hubei Province, where coronavirus originated. Many airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, have suspended flights between the UK and China. If you were to travel, your travel insurance would not be valid because you would be going against the Foreign Office advice. So right now, it would be inadvisable to book a flight to China – however cheap the flights are.

Much of Beijing remains closed to stop the spread of coronavirus Credit: Getty

Flights to France or Norway for £9

Wizz Air is listing flights from London Luton to Grenoble, France for £18 return, departing on Saturday March 21 and returning on Saturday March 28. They are also listing £18 return flights to Bergen in Norway, departing on Sunday March 22 and returning on March 27.

Is it a good idea? Other than Northern Italy (see above), the Foreign Office does not warn against travelling anywhere in Europe because of coronavirus. However, the coronavirus outbreak evolves on a daily basis, so there's no guarantee that your holiday wouldn't be affected. At the time of writing (February 28) there are 41 coronavirus cases in France and 4 cases in Norway. By way of comparison, there are 19 confirmed cases in the UK.

Wizz Air is selling flights to Bergen for £9 each way Credit: iStock

A week in Thailand for £714

Tui is selling a week holiday to Thailand with flights and accommodation for just £714 per person (departing March 20), staying at the four-star Bluesotel Krabi Aonang Beach.

Is it a good idea? There have been 41 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Thailand. As it stands, there are no Foreign Office warnings in place for Thailand. The advice reads: "You should comply with any additional screening measures put in place by the local authorities." Things will likely be quieter than usual, if you do go, although as with all destinations, there's always the possibility that Thailand could see a sudden spike in coronavirus cases, which could affect your holiday. You can see our travel advice for south-east Asia, here.

Bangkok has seen a downturn in tourist numbers since the coronavirus outbreak Credit: Getty

A nine-night Mediterranean cruise for £379

Cruise Nation is offering a cruise, including two nights at a hotel in Barcelona and seven nights on-board the ship in the Mediterranean for £379 per person, departing on March 10 (flights included).

Is it a good idea? After the Diamond Princess outbreak in Japan, which saw 705 cruise passengers contract coronavirus and 13 deaths, some holidaymakers will understandably be nervy about booking onto a cruise. Whether or not you are actually statistically more likely to fall ill on a cruise ship, however, is up for debate. Here, you can see the ports that have blocked cruise ships due to coronavirus fears.

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