DON'T bank on picking up last-minute package holiday deals this summer… or even making late bookings and getting your preferred choice of date and destination.

Tour operators have cut the number of seats on offer during the peak summer period because of a projected drop in demand - and late cheapies, especially during the peak travelling dates, are likely to be an endangered species.

According to Christine Donnelly, Director of Falcon Holidays, last minute bargain hunters could be in for disappointment in the summer because of the limited availability.

"Consumers may believe that the same amount of holidays will be available this summer but with a capacity cut of 25 per cent across the board, they couldn't be further from the truth.

"People are still travelling, albeit not to the same extent as in recent years when some were taking four or five holidays a year, but simple supply and demand dictates that with less holidays available, the likelihood of holding out could result in disappointment."

Falcon, which along with Thomas Cook accounts for the lion's share of package holidays sold out of Belfast, is now engaged in trying to match seats to the expected demand.

Thomas Cook has reacted to the downturn in worldwide travel and in the package holiday market in particular by switching one of its aircraft from Belfast this summer - a move which will cut the company's seat availability appreciably.

However, a company spokesperson stressed that Belfast was a very important market for Thomas Cook and that it was looking at other possible destinations outside the eurozone.

Nationally, Thomas Cook described the overall summer 2009 trading as "robust." A spokesperson said that the company had sold 52 per cent of its capacity in line with the previous year. "Having successfully focused on selling the months on either side of the July/August peak, we now have 14 per cent less left to sell than last year in these shoulder months."

The Northern Ireland package holiday marketplace will be bolstered to some degree by an increase in the number of travellers from the Republic - holidaymakers persuaded to drive North by the strong euro against sterling.

And in the Republic, cuts to package holiday capacity are likely to be even more swingeing than in Northern Ireland.

One tour operator has cut capacity by up to 40 per cent, and warns that late deals during July and August will be a scarce commodity. Overall capacity in the Republic is reckoned to be down by an estimated 30 per cent.

Certainly, it appears that Dublin departures will be even less of an option that's available to Northern Ireland's package holidaymakers this summer - even if they are prepared to forgo the substantial currency differential.

Falcon Director Christine Donnelly also claims that the credit crunch has made consumers more wary about who they book their holiday with.

"When budgets are tight, it is crucial that your money is protected and your holiday is secured," she said. "That's why it is important to book with a trusted and established tour operator which is ATOL bonded."