Tourists warned over hidden costs

22 March 2011 10:52

Tourists have been warned over hidden charges when booking their holidays online

Tourists have been warned over hidden charges when booking their holidays online

Online booking is growing in popularity for holidaymakers, but some have been hit by "hidden extras" when it comes to paying, a survey has shown.

ConsumerIntelligence.com questioned 2,439 people and found that 56% of those booking holidays in the last 12 months did so through the internet.

But almost two-fifths (38%) of them found that when they called to confirm the booking there were hidden extras on top of the cost they had been quoted.

With travellers having to put money aside for other expenses such as travel insurance or spending money, this research demonstrates how important it is to make sure people know what they are paying in advance.

While 56% booked via the internet, only 20% of people used a travel agent's office for their holiday.

Lastminute.com was the package holiday website that most people (92.5%) had heard of, while the next-most familiar was Thomascook.com followed by Thomson.co.uk.

ConsumerIntelligence.com managing director Ian Hughes said: "The way people book holidays has changed beyond recognition over the past decade or two, and it's important that holiday websites offer the same positive customer experience that they would get face to face.

"Our research shows that the majority of these websites are doing a good job, with great customer approval ratings. However, some sites need to be careful not to annoy their customers by adding hidden costs, as this is a big source of irritation for many customers."

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