Heavy traffic warning as restrictions lifted

Tourism bosses urge visitors to exercise caution as second spike would be ‘disastrous’ for the industry

Tourists have been warned to expect heavy traffic on the first weekend of lockdown easing with roads set to be the busiest they have been this year. A rush of domestic travel is expected on Saturday as restrictions on staying away from home overnight are lifted for the first time in three months. Tourism bosses urged visitors to be responsible and avoid crowded visitor attractions amid warnings that a second spike of the virus could be “disastrous” for the industry.

TOURISTS have been warned to expect heavy traffic on the first weekend of lockdown easing with roads set to be the busiest they have been this year, according to the RAC.

A rush of domestic travel is expected on Saturday as restrictions on staying away from home overnight are lifted for the first time in three months.

Tourism bosses urged visitors to be responsible and avoid crowded visitor attractions amid warnings that a second spike of the virus could be “disastrous” for the industry.

Thousands of Britons headed to the beach during last week’s heatwave with a major incident declared in Bournemouth as authorities struggled to cope with the number of visitors.

Research by the RAC suggested that 31 per cent of drivers – the equivalent of 10.5 million people – will be heading for an overnight trip this weekend.

This would make it busier than the August bank holiday weekend last year when the RAC predicted 16.5 million individual trips would be made across four days, including outbound and return journeys.

James Mason, chief executive of tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire, said the county was looking forward to welcoming back tourists, but that a second spike of the virus would be a disaster.

He said: “We want to avoid a second spike. If you see a visitor attraction packed or overcrowded, perhaps you should stay away and drive somewhere else. Take ownership of that decision.

“Another spike will lead to deeper and longer scars and it would be to the detriment of the tourism industry.

Some businesses would not be able to survive.”

He advised visitors to plan their trip in advance and book attractions where possible. “The 4th of July is the date when the hospitality industry can reopen, but that doesn’t mean that every visitor attraction will be open,” he added.

Malcolm Bell, the chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said: “There might be some occasions where you have to decide to stay away.

“We have hundreds of miles of beach fronts. If you go to Fistral and it’s very busy, you will probably find that Perranporth has more space.

“Plan ahead and have an idea of what beach you want to go to, but have a back up plan as well.”

A spokesman for National Parks UK, an umbrella organisation for the country’s parks, said some communities were particularly susceptible to the effects of the virus as they had an older population.

He also urged people to be aware of the impact of things like littering and wild camping. Authorities in one national park had to move on between two and three hundred wild campers this weekend, National Parks UK said.

The RAC research suggested that almost one in five people will be staying with friends and family this weekend, while one in 10 plan to go camping or stay in self-catered accommodation or a hotel.

Rod Dennis, an RAC spokesman, said: “These figures suggest that after 15 weeks of lockdown, a large proportion of drivers in England are desperate to reconnect with friends, family and indeed nature by staying overnight, be that in a house or on a camping or caravan site. This could lead to some busy conditions on the roads, with the location of queues likely to be dependent on just how far people travel.

“Motorways and major A-roads could end up taking the brunt of the traffic if people have longer distances to drive to see family and friends or to take a weekend break.”