Package holidays to Dubai and Egypt cheaper as European prices creep up

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Package holidays to Dubai and Egypt cheaper as European prices creep upImage source, Getty ImagesByColletta Smith, Your Voice correspondent and Elaine Doran, Your Voice producerPublished10 minutes agoFamily package holidays to destinations like Dubai and Egypt are cheaper this summer than last as tour operators cut prices to tempt people back. The war in Iran has put many UK holidaymakers off travelling to countries near to the conflict or through Middle Eastern airspace - opting instead to stay in Europe. Prices for an average all-inclusive seven-night family stay in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have dropped by 25% this August compared with last.

And the same holiday to Egypt is 8% cheaper, according to TravelSupermarket data compiled for the . At the same time, the cost of package deals to Spain, Portugal and Greece are up between 3-5%, the data suggests. Image source, Tim HarrisImage caption, The Harris family cancelled their Dubai holiday and booked a trip to Mexico insteadTim and Natalie Harris from Swansea had booked a holiday to Dubai with their two teenage daughters this summer, but when the Iran war broke out they cancelled and lost their deposit.

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"We did manage to find a package for £6,400 for all-inclusive in Mexico which we've booked," says Tim. Last month, the Foreign Office dropped its advice against travelling to Dubai, after the US and Iran reached an agreement to stop the war, but warned British citizens that "the situation remains unpredictable" in the region. Tour operators have cut prices to other destinations - an average holiday to Morocco is down 6.

6% cheaper than last summer. Mollie Hitchen, assistant manager of Marple Travel Hyde, says customers were more nervous this year about going anywhere near the Middle East, or getting stuck somewhere further afield because of fuel shortages. "People will ask questions, but we just reassure people that there is absolutely no problems with those destinations," she says.

Image source, Flora BadgerImage caption, Flora Badger got in touch with the after seeing holiday prices fluctuateFlora Badger is taking three teenage girls on their first holiday abroad this summer. She contacted Your Voice to share her frustrations in watching holiday prices fluctuate. Flora first considered booking in April to avoid the expensive summer months, but says she held off over situation in the Middle East and fears of getting stuck abroad.

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She ended up booking to go to the Spanish island of Lanzarote in September. "Price was a huge, huge issue," she says. "It's very frustrating how much it increases in the school holidays.

"At the end of the day they need a treat, we've been saving up for it, they've been looking forward to it, so we're planning on going. " The steep price rises for European holidays may have slowed but they're still creeping up, TravelSupermarket data suggests.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.