ISIS nutjobs threaten Brit holidaymakers' great Xmas getaway

Popular Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia have all been put on the holiday "red list" by the Foreign Office amid fears extremist nut cases could be plotting attacks there.

And now hundreds of thousands of winter holidaymakers who usually travelled to these resorts are expected to switch to spots in the Canary Islands.

Today the Daily Star Online can reveal Britain's biggest package holiday operator is leading the rush to buy up sought after rooms on the islands – which experts believe could spell the end of the cheap winter getaway.

All EasyJet and British Airways flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh have been cancelled until at least January .

Other holiday companies have also pulled out until it is deemed safe from ISIS, also known as Daesh.

Thomas Cook said there had been a big surge in bookings to the islands because people still want to escape the miserable winter weather in the UK.

The package holiday giant said it would be using its all clout as the one of the biggest package holiday firms to block buy rooms there.

It is preparing to meet soaring demand from those who have switched from Egypt and Tunisia and it's compeititors are expected to follow suit.

Spokeswoman Louise Evans said: "We have added extra holidays for the Canary Islands with interest fairly evenly spread for Lanzarote, Tenerife, and Fuerteventura.

"Gran Canaria slightly less and Gambia as alternative options for those who had bookings for Tunisia and Sharm."

A map showing New Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice shows many holiday hotspots in Europe are now no-go areas amid fears ISIS gunmen want to massacre Brit holidaymakers.

Even the Brit mecca Costa Del Sol is deemed a top target for the murderous terror group.

As we revealed earlier this year, UK tourists are "high value” targets for ISIS extremists – especially since British warplanes began pummelling them in Syria.

While holidaymakers in Spain could be attacked by home grown terrorists, Gran Canaria and Canary Islands are viewed as having a much lower risk because of their remote location.

But the islands are already heaving with tourists in the winter. And experts fear resorts will struggle to cater for more than hundreds thousands extra tourists.

Yeganeh Morakabati, risk and tourism expert at Bournemouth University, said: "People will be looking at the risk. It feels more safe there.

"The effect is shifting demand from one place to another. It's about supply and demand and there is only a certain amount of supply."

Frank Brehany, the consumer director of HolidayTravelWatch, agrees.

He said: "There's going to be a rush in bookings.

"Maybe holiday companies can't get as many hotel spaces as they would have wanted, in which case space will end up being a premium.

"The companies will then argue it is about supply and demand and prices will skyrocket.

"I hope that the quality of the properties will deliver on the expectations of the consumer."

(dailystar.co.uk)