'Staycation' boom for people in Staffordshire and Cheshire
With holiday's abroad becoming increasingly uncertain - more are planning to holiday closer to home
With summer approaching and the option of travelling abroad still in uncertain territory, a 'staycation' boom could be in the horizon.
People across Staffordshire and Cheshire say they're now more focussed on the prospect of a holiday within the United Kingdom this year.
Milly from Congleton said: "So this year, we had booked a holiday to Fuerteventura, but couldn't be bothered with the hassle of going abroad and decided instead to go up to the highlands."
Fay from Congleton said: "This year, I'm not going abroad. There's too many issues with these so-called vaccine passports or having to self-isolate or get stuck in a country abroad. With a staycation, yes it's definitely a possibility - maybe at a weekend. But again, not quite sure what or when to book it because obviously, we might go into another or a different type of lockdown."
Ben from Stoke-on-Trent said: "I'm not planning on going abroad this year, but do plan a couple of staycations. And to some places in the UK, I think mostly because I'm not entirely sure of the safety of travelling to Europe with the pandemic, but also, I think it's important to support local and important to support our British economy and get some of our tourist locations back on track if we can, and also some of the personal reasons and one of the locations is very near family. We've not seen some members of our family for over 12 months. So it's a great opportunity to meet with them and to see them but also enjoy kind of a refreshing and relaxing time away. So definitely going to stay and stick to the UK this year and hopefully consider somewhere else next year."
Diane from Stoke-on-Trent said: "No, I certainly won't be booking a holiday abroad. I wouldn't like to be sharing the same airspace as people on aeroplanes, even if I've been vaccinated. I've had my first vaccination but I've had my second but I certainly would not want to go in an aeroplane or in any close proximity with people. As far as a staycation is concerned, really, I'd only want to go somewhere where I could keep a great distance between people. I've shielded for quite a long time now, retired last year, not doing anything - I think I've waited this long now. I'd rather just wait until things are much better."
Boris Johnson has said the UK must be "realistic'' over the resumption of foreign holidays due to "a surge'' of coronavirus in popular destinations,
People living in the UK are currently banned from taking foreign holidays.
The Prime Minister told a Downing Street briefing "I wish I could give you more on that'' but insisted there was not enough "solid data'' on the virus.
A Downing Street paper on easing coronavirus restrictions confirmed that a traffic light system for international travel will be introduced.
The Government's Global Travel Taskforce will provide a report later this week on how international leisure travel can resume.
Under England's road map for easing pandemic rules, the earliest that foreign holidays could be permitted is May 17.
Mr Johnson said: "Obviously we are hopeful that we can get going from May 17, we are hopeful.
"But I do not wish to give hostages to fortune or to underestimate the difficulty we are seeing in some of the destination countries people might want to go to.
"We don't want to see the virus being reimported into this country from abroad.
"Plainly, there is a surge in other parts of the world and we have to be to be mindful of that and we have to be realistic.''
Mr Johnson said the Government will set out "well before May 17th what we think is reasonable''.
He added: "I know that people watching will want to know exactly what they can do from May 17th but we're not there yet.
Under the traffic light system, assessments will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country's population which has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants and the country's access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.
Travellers arriving from countries rated "green'' will not be required to isolate although pre-departure and post-arrival tests will still be needed.
For people who have been in countries classed as "amber'' or "red'', arrivals will be required to isolate or enter quarantine.
The document stated it is "too early to say'' which countries will be on the green list.
It added: "For the moment, the Government advises people not to book summer holidays abroad until the picture is clearer.''