Millions opt for UK break
AT least eight million Britons are expected to shun foreign holidays for staycations this Easter as coronavirus fears take hold.
UK holiday firms are reporting up to 40 per cent more inquiries and bookings than they had last Easter.
Customers are telling them they are desperate to avoid airport chaos and flight cancellations due to the disease – and are terrified of catching the bug abroad.
The Foreign Office’s rapidly changing advice on which locations are safe is also putting people off.
Nick Wyatt, of analytics company GlobalData, said: “Staycations are likely to make travellers feel more comfortable as they are familiar with the location, they can potentially avoid flying, and they know the health service and health structure.”
It is expected the numbers holidaying at home this Easter will far exceed last year’s record of 7.4million people – adding an estimated £2billion boost to the economy.
Steve Jarvis, owner of the Independent Cottages rental agency, said: “For January 1 to February 24, we are on average 40 per cent up on web visitors compared with the same period in the previous year.
“Initial analysis of the most recent enquiries is that they appear to all be domestic – overseas enquiries have reduced significantly.”
British campsites are also seeing a big boost in bookings. Campsites. co.uk revealed year-on-year searches were up 18 per cent in February and nearly 30 per cent so far in March.
Founder Martin Smith said: “Lots of the most popular holiday parks and glamping sites already have less than 20 per cent availability for peak summer.
“So families that have a clear idea of where they want to go should book now rather than risk missing out.”
Glamping site Canopy and Stars has seen a 33 per cent rise in bookings for 2020 compared with 2019.
And Malcolm Bell of Visit Cornwall said: “It will be interesting to see how the British react. [They may view] walking on a beach down here as safer than going to a town centre.”
He said the tourist board was not promoting the idea of rural destinations being safer, but it “would consider that sort of messaging later” depending on how the coronavirus outbreak develops. Meanwhile
SHOPPERS received a blast of disinfectant as they entered a south London store amid fears over coronavirus, a shopper complained yesterday.
A video shared online showed Costco customers lining up at the entrance to the Croydon branch of the wholesaler as a staff member sprayed a “disinfectantlike liquid”.
The Costco customer who filmed the spraying described it as a “peculiar situation”.
He said: “By the time I reached the top of the line I noticed the assistant had a translucent canister and he was spraying everyone as they walked in.
“You would show your [membership] card and then receive a squirt and then you would get a tissue.”
He said there was no explanation before they entered the store on Thursday.
But in a statement, Costco said only trolley handles were sprayed – not customers.
Meanwhile, supermarkets and pharmacies across the country have been left with bare shelves as anxious shoppers rush to stockpile household goods amid the outbreak.
Hand sanitiser, anti-bacterial wipes, nappies, dried foods like pasta and rice, and paracetamol have been flying off the shelves across the UK.
The Competition and Markets
companies specialising in foreign travel are predicting a terrible year.
Booking Holdings, which owns booking.com, priceline.com, kayak. com, cheapflights and others, yesterday said it was expecting a 15 per cent drop in total bookings in 2020.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that January saw the lowest monthly rise in global airline passengers since 2010, when the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud led to massive airspace closures.
Demand for flights increased by just 2.4 per cent in the first month of 2020 compared with January last year, when it was 4.6 per cent.
IATA chief executive Alexandre de Juniac said: “January was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the traffic impacts we are seeing owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, given that major
travel restrictions in China begin until 23 January.”
The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) advises people planning to travel abroad to visit its web page abta.com/coronavirus.
It said: “Our aim is to provide people with fact-based advice and perspective so they are aware of the scale of the situation and their rights and can make informed decisions.
“Travellers with an existing package holiday booked, and those considering making plans, can be reassured that there are protections in place should the Foreign Office travel advice to their destination change.”
For people who have booked with Flybe – the UK plane company that collapsed this week due to longstanding financial woes – ABTA is giving advice at abta.com/flybe.
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Authority has warned that companies taking advantage of the panic by raising prices could be prosecuted or fined.
The government has urged people not to panic and bulk buy products, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock promising that supermarkets would not run out of food.
He added: “The Government has supplies of the key things that are needed and, within the food supply, we are absolutely confident that there won’t be a problem there.
“Crucially, we are working to
not make sure that if people are self isolating, they will get the food and supplies that they need.”
He said there was absolutely no need for individuals to buy more than they require.
Commuters around the country have been enjoying quieter train journeys as more people avoid public transport.
Those on trains in London have been spotted wearing various types of headgear in an attempt to shield their mouths, noses and eyes from germs, including military gas masks, a blanket and a lunch box.