Matt Hancock warns Brits to plan for holiday in the UK again this summer – here are some of the best deals
FAMILIES have been given a boost of confidence for their holidays after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said staycations are likely to go ahead.
However, holidays abroad may be a bit behind, he warned, with domestic trips around the UK expected to boom again this summer.
Mr Hancock, who is self-isolating again after being pinged by track and trace, revealed he would be booking his own holiday in Britain later this year, but advised caution until the summer.
He said: "I’m going to Cornwall. And I have said before I think we’re going to have a great British summer.
"But we’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then."
There are some great deals for less than £20 each a night across the UK, including:
It follows comments from Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab who warned that it was "too early" for Brits to be looking at booking a holiday abroad.
The government has plans to have everyone vaccinated by September, which Mr Hancock said is the earliest to be considering anything further for holiday plans.
Destinations such as Cornwall are encouraging families to book holidays for the summer now, as the holiday hotspot reported a £1bn loss since the pandemic began.
Last year saw a staycation boom due to the travel restrictions which were in place, as many campsites sold out.
Popular towns including St Ives and Penzance were seen with busy streets, which led to temporary road closures and road bans across Falmouth and Truro to allow visitors to social distance..
Visit Cornwall boss Malcom Bell told the BBC: "I don't think it's irresponsible to look ahead for the summer and the autumn and say: 'Book now,' so that businesses have got some healthy reservations already in."
Even last year, people were looking at 2021 holidays - camping website Pitchup.com had 1,400 bookings for this summer - an increase of 500 per cent - while Canopy and Stars, who offer glamping holidays, had more bookings for August 2021 than last August.
Holidays are slowly starting to recover - Away Resorts have reported a boom in bookings, which are up 14 per cent year-on-year.
Now is also the best time to book a trip, as tour operators are slashing their prices to encourage holidays.
However, as demand increases closer to the summer, prices are expected to spike, while some hotels and holiday parks may even sell out.
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