Early birds set to swoop on 2012 park discounts

An end to nail-biting waits for last-minute holiday bargains has been signalled by a major holiday company. Park Holidays UK has decided that for 2012, early birds can peck up the best bargains.

In a move which mirrors budget airline ticketing, the parks group is currently offering summer holidays next year with up to 35 percent off its published brochure prices.

But unlike cut-price flights, the discounted holidays allow later free changes to dates and locations.

Up to £150.00 has been taken off one-week holidays, and up to £70.00 shaved from shorter breaks on the company's 25 seaside holiday parks in Devon and southern England.

With some summer weeks priced at around £435.00 per family in the company's brochure, the early-bird discounts can save around one third of the total holiday cost.

A deposit of just £60.00 will secure any of the cut-price deals which will remain on the company's website (ParkHolidaysUK.com) until the end of January 2012.

But although the offers will then be taken down, Park Holidays UK director Tony Clish says there is no risk of buying a bargain now and later needing to make changes to the booking: "We realise that many people will want to secure one of these deals immediately, but might not yet have made a definite decision on where and when they want to go," he said.

"For that reason, we have taken the unusual step of making the bookings entirely flexible with no penalty fees for changing later to a different park or a different date," added Tony.

A major reason for introducing the up-front discount scheme, he said, was to try and prevent the frustration often experienced by those making last-minute bookings: "Many of our parks were to up to capacity during periods of last summer, and we had to disappoint a lot of people who had held out for what they hoped would be the best prices.

"Now we are making it clear that there is no need to endure a nail-biting run-up to your holiday because the keenest savings are to be had earlier rather than later.

"It means mum and dad can get the best price possible now, and kids can get an instant answer to their questions about next summer's holiday which usually start around Christmas!" added Tony.