Following the news that separate households have been banned from meeting each other indoors in Greater Manchester, and parts of Lancashire and West Yorkshire following a spike in COVID-19 cases;
Ben Cordwell, Travel & Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the latest development:
“The latest government announcement could be an enormous blow to the domestic tourism industry within the UK and the increased COVID-19 anxiety may cause prospective travellers to cross even staycations off their to-do list this year. A significant reduction in domestic tourism over the summer months could be a critical blow to many companies. Hotels, restaurants, pubs/bars and attractions have already had to survive months with little or no business. Any further financial strain could see some companies closing permanently.
“According to a survey by GlobalData, 82% of Brits are extremely or quite concerned about COVID-19, while 49% are extremely or quite concerned about restrictions on domestic travel. The latest restrictions, which affect around four million people, do little to ease COVID-19 anxiety – something that could have a knock-on impact on the number of holidaymakers willing to travel around the country for leisure purposes.
“The latest government announcement comes less than a week since the government advised against all but essential travel to Spain. This, combined with a rising number of cases across Europe and the UK, could see holidaymakers deciding to skip their holiday altogether. This is supported by the fact that over half of UK respondents (52%) believe the coronavirus situation will get worse over the next month.”
