Following news by the government, that British residents arriving in England from Covid-19 hotspots will have to quarantine in monitored hotels for ten days and undergo the “managed isolation process” which they will also have to pay for many people who considered traveling overseas for holidays are considering opting for UK destinations this summer.
The demand for holiday accommodation from cottages to campsites has increased. Luxury hotels are also set to expect a boost. However, there may be a shortage of accommodation holidaymakers are looking for according to providers of holiday lets.
Sarah and Steve Jarvis, who run the Independent Cottages website which has listings of more than 1,800 properties, said inquiries during the current lockdown in England are 300% up on the first lockdown in March to July 2020.
Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis also added that many of the properties still need to honor bookings that were rolled over from 2020 because of previous Covid-19 restrictions which restricts availability for new requests.
Steve Jarvis said: “People have got confidence in UK self-catering holidays because the bookings are coming in thick and fast.”
Another holiday provider, holidaycottages.co.uk, has seen a sharp increase in demand since mid-January.
The firm’s chief marketing officer, James Starkey, says: “In the past week, bookings taken for May half-term onwards are up 39% compared to last year, with the summer holidays up 98%. We do still have just over half of our properties available for seven-night breaks in the summer holidays but, with them booking more quickly this year, we anticipate another strong summer for the UK staycation industry.”
Hotels are also noticing the staycation trend as well. The Best Western chain did a survey of 6,000 of its UK customers and found that 90% of them felt safer holidaying in the United Kingdom this summer rather than abroad.
Holidays in the UK are also likely to be cost-effective as holidaymakers can spend the majority of their budget on accommodation instead of flights abroad and other travel expenses.
