Another holiday booking period is in full swing, and with it the same predictable outrage from teachers / parents / politicians about the 'high' cost of family holidays in busy periods. 

With my old hack hat on, I can say with confidence there's nothing the newspapers like better than a tale that can be reheated regularly - and peak period prices is one of the favourites. Why? Well, everyone goes on holiday - the issue crosses all classes, age ranges and vacation preference - and (importantly for time-pressed consumer affairs journos) it's always easy to find an indignant voice or two to lend the story some weight.

What is incredible is the way the holiday industry continues, or should we say 'fails', to respond.

The basic principle of supply and demand is a pretty easy thing to understand. Demand goes up, supply is fixed, price goes up. Or put it another way, people pay more for stuff if they think they must have it. That is the summer holiday market. It's not a rip-off, just simple economics.

Travel companies have understandably got tough on overcapacity in recent years, driven by the rise of the Big Two. Call it German efficiency if you like, but the the regular summer discounting that used to see a week in Spain for £49 is long gone. So too are the headlines telling us of the brilliant bargains to be had from tour operators struggling to shift stock.

Rather than putting up with the endless cycle of moans, it must be time for the industry to take a united stand and do a better job of explaining how it all works. The truth is that Brits pay far less than their European cousins for the annual trip to the Costas. What's more, UK holiday companies are among the most efficient businesses in the world and operate on wafer-thin margins.

We'd be happy to help get the message across.