The Greek-island specialist SunIsle Holidays (08000 911601, sunisle.co.uk) has come up with a novel way of presenting its discounts. On all villas for July and August, it will reduce the price by the number of days a client books before departure. Sign up today for an August 24 arrival, for example, and you’d save £133. It is also offering those who rent selected apartments in May and June a free week in September or October, but as this deal does not include flights, it may well not end up being quite the bargain you hoped for.

Still on villas, The Gascony Secret (0844 800 1637, gascony-secret.com) is tackling the thorny issue of exorbitant under-occupany charges, offering reduced rates if you take a house but can’t fill it entirely.

Cancellation charges are another sticking point. With so many workers nervous about long-term job security, expect to see more peace-of-mind clauses such as that from the Coral Beach Hotel & Resort in Cyprus. It offers a 100% refund up to 24 hours before arrival if customers cancel an online booking due to redundancy.

Some of these travel incentives insist on concentrating on happier thoughts, however. Tourism New Zealand (newzealand.com/whatdoyousayuk) has been operating a mobile recording studio at sightseeing hotspots over its summer season. It enables holidaymakers to send messages home to family and friends via a video diary filmed and edited by a professional crew. TNZ has also used visiting Brits in TV advert campaigns, in the belief that word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool.

The upmarket Six Senses hotel chain (020 8780 3519, sixsenses.com) is appealing to the altruist in us all, and has come up with the offer to beat all offers. If you book a fortnight between June and December at its A-list hangouts Soneva Fushi or Soneva Gili in the Maldives, and undertake four days of community work in local schools, hospitals or farms, it will extend your holiday for a further two weeks. That’s a lot of “lounging on the beach and feeling smug” time.

The Safari specialist Expert Africa (020 8232 9777, expertafrica.com) is also thinking laterally and capitalising on the popularity of review sites to reassure clients. It sports its own online version of TripAdvisor, where customers can give warts-and-all reports of their tours. On a recent trip to Zanzibar, one customer described his holiday as “poor” and complained about the haphazard nature of hotel transfers.

Finally, if you want a treat but can’t afford Namibia, lastminute.com is holding a two-week-long, two-for-one spa sale, starting on April 20. Posh pamper palaces such as Greyshot spa in Hindhead, Fredrick’s Spa in Maidenhead, Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire, The Vineyard in Berkshire and Champneys health resorts nationwide will be offering two-for-one deals on spa day packages, complimentary treatments and accommodation on spa breaks. To qualify, all you have to do is book your day treatment or spa break online during the week.