Who can afford a holiday nowadays?
For more and more Europeans, summer holidays are becoming an unaffordable luxury. In recent years, inflation has pushed up the cost of travel services and accommodation, and prices at restaurants and bars have also increased. This negative trend prompts a mixture of nostalgia and anger from commentators.
Global bosses taking away our holidays
EU statistics agency Eurostat has found that almost 50 percent of Greeks cannot afford a week-long holiday. Naftemporiki finds this saddening:
“Economic pressure and price hikes are changing consumer behaviour, not only in Greece but throughout Europe. What is worrying is that this new era is here to stay. The dismantling of the welfare state can be clearly felt at both the EU and national levels. The ongoing trade and currency wars preclude any prospect of lower prices, while the geopolitical situation is hanging like a sword of Damocles over the global economy, poised to change the situation drastically at any time. The world's policy makers seem to have decided that workers don't need summer holidays anymore.”
Even the cheapest room is too expensive
For many Hungarians, even a local holiday on Lake Balaton is no longer affordable, hvg writes with concern:
“Rising utility costs have driven up accommodation prices, while food inflation has pushed up catering prices. You see more and more picnic blankets and coolers packed with beer and sandwiches brought from home. ... While accommodation providers are reporting a big drop in bookings, the public beaches are overcrowded on hot weekends. Even the cheapest rooms are too expensive for many people now. The result is a rise in the number of day trippers, especially in the southern coastal towns with large public beaches.”
No longer willing to pay exhorbitant prices
Tourists are no longer willing to put up with the absurd prices in Croatia, Večernji list notes:
“It's as if they thought there wouldn't be a 2026, 2027 or 2028 season - that they could keep conning the guests year after year. But now the numerous discounts for last-minute guests at hotel chains which can adjust their prices daily, depending on demand, are showing that the limit has been reached. ... And some private landlords who now face weeks without bookings are also bringing their prices down. Clearly, it's not a matter of anything goes when it comes to prices, and landlords on the Adriatic got it wrong when it came to supply and demand. But this isn't only happening on our coastline. Greed knows no boundaries or nationality.”