Holidays: Country to have ‘great British summer’ says Hancock
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Britons might typically look overseas to tropical beaches and palm tree-lined shorelines for their summer holiday. However, amid the coronavirus pandemic, ongoing travel restrictions have forced people to change their usual travel habits.
Despite hopes holidays could resume from May 17 under the Prime Minister’s roadmap out of lockdown, according to Booking.com a large chunk of Britons are opting to play it safe this year.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk Ryan Pearson, regional manager at Booking.com explained that even with the potential of jetting off abroad, UK destinations continue to dominate travel searches.
“After seeing an increase in searches following the government’s announcement, Booking.com can reveal that domestic getaways will be front of mind for UK travellers this summer,” he said.
“In fact, eight out of the top ten most searched for destinations for summer months were based in the UK, which is twice as many as 2020.”
Though the majority of the country has seen a spike in interest from holidaymakers, there are four key regions that are proving to be particularly popular hotspots.
“Cornwall, Devon, Yorkshire and The Highlands have all seen a noticeable recent increase in searches,” continued Mr Pearson.
However, these are not the only destinations that Britons are eagerly eyeing up.
Mr Pearson also pointed to some specific regions which have seen a surge in searches including Bath, Newquay, St Ives, Edinburgh, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Torquay, Inverness, York and Brighton.
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After more than a year of varying levels of lockdown, Britons are itching for a change of scenery, though there are some types of holiday which are more popular than others.
“We are aware that travel confidence levels are currently steady, given our recent research which revealed that 47 percent of people still plan to travel within their own country in the medium term, with 38 percent planning to do so in over a year’s time,” explained Mr Pearson.
“Further to this, Britons are most keen to take a beach, nature sightseeing or city break in the future.
“As Britons are looking to the UK for their beach getaway this
year, destinations such as Newquay, St Ives and Torquay have surged in popularity for this summer compared to last year.”
With certain destinations already booking up quickly, Mr Pearson shared some crucial advice for Britons keen to visit some of the most highly sought after destinations.
“Given the large amount of uncertainty that COVID-19, for those making travel plans, we always recommend opting for flexible policies, given the ever-evolving government guidelines,” he advised.
Many travel and accommodation providers have ramped up their cancellation and rebooking policies to allow for unexpected Covid-related events.
This often includes sudden lockdowns, or in the event holidaymakers are diagnosed with coronavirus.
However, holidaymakers are warned they could inadvertently end up voiding these protective policies in some circumstances.
“It is also vital that people adhere to Government guidelines at the time of booking and
when going away,” concluded Mr Pearson.
This includes if localised lockdowns come into play, but holidaymakers still choose to travel.
Holidaymakers are advised to stay up-to-date on the relevant guidelines both in their local area, and their destination.
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