Irish holidaymakers pay 38pc more
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IRISH holidaymakers are being charged hundreds of euro more than people in the UK for the same holiday.
Consumers are paying as much as 38pc more for an identical holiday in France booked via Keycamp's Irish operation at www.keycamp.ie, compared to the same holiday booked on www.keycamp.co.uk.
For example, a week in a mobile home on a popular campsite in Brittany in August will cost you £741.75 (€842), if you book through keycamp.co.uk, but if you use keycamp.ie, the price is €1,159.
That means Irish families are being charged an extra €317, despite the fact there is no difference in what they get.
The prices we quote are for renting mobile homes in European campsites and do not include the costs of getting there, so they are directly comparable as they relate to the same campsites and accommodation.
Some of the biggest price differentials were for holidays in Brittany and the Vendee.
A one-week stay in Dol de Bretagne in a Villanova mobile home, from August 22, cost £780.50 on the UK site, the equivalent of €887 at yesterday's exchange rates; but came in at €1,159 on www.keycamp.ie -- a difference of €272.
In Vendee North, a week at St Jean Plage Le Clarys Plage, in a Supernova mobile home, came in at £742, or €842. It is €1,159 on the Irish website, a difference of €317 and a mark-up of 38pc.
In the Cote d'Azur in the south of France, a one-week stay from August 8 in Canadel La Pachacaid, in a three-bedroom Villagrand mobile home with air conditioning, costs £1,296 (€1,473) on keycamp.co.uk, and €1,656 on keycamp.ie -- a difference of €183.
In St Raphael, a week's stay at Douce Quietude campsite is £991 (€1,126) with Keycamp UK, but you would be charged €1,421 on the Irish website, a difference of €295.
Consumers' Association of Ireland chairman James Doorley slated the massive differential, which he said would infuriate hard-pressed families trying to book holidays.
"There is no excuse for this. In the past, retailers have tried to blame things like higher staff costs and rates for higher prices here, but in this case you're talking about the same location, the same rooms, yet they're priced completely differently.
"People will, rightly, be very annoyed if they find they're being charged so much extra for the same thing. During the Celtic Tiger, people may have accepted higher prices, but that's no longer the case," he said.
Keycamp's Irish operation did not respond to requests for a comment.
- Aideen Sheehan
