You could be able to go on a staycation from early July under further lockdown easing

Brits may be able to visit hotels and holiday parks as early as July 4th as ministers make efforts to start the holiday season.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make big announcements to lockdown easing on Tuesday, June 23rd, which might include the possibility of ‘staycation’ trips. 

The domestic travel industry which creates, on average, £130bn a year had to close like many other industries due to the coronavirus pandemic. The government has yet to announce an official reopening date for the industry.

However, Whitehall officials have been told to prepare for the announcement tomorrow, according to The Mail on Sunday.

Former Environment Minister Owen Paterson told the Mail on Sunday: “To have any hope of saving this summer season for our tourist industry, the Government must announce this week what the arrangements will be for reopening on July 4.

Mr Paterson added: “The Government must say this week that there will be a reduction in the social distancing guidance to one metre. Everything depends on that.

“People are not going to go to restaurants, pubs and holiday parks in our beautiful tourist areas unless we cut the rule to one metre. If we don’t, large numbers of hospitality businesses just will not survive. The Government must also say that the quarantine arrangements will end on July 4, too.”

Boris Johnson is said to be on the brink of easing the two-metre social distancing rule, telling the nation to ‘watch this space’ regarding an announcement. 

Many bosses in the hospitality industry have called for the government to confirm when the tourism industry can return to trading.

Cornwall Council said it would lose £630m by the end of June due to the lack of tourism in just that area. 

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of the trade body UKHospitality, added: “We need confirmation of the reopening date for hospitality businesses without any further delay.

“Businesses need time to prepare and the first step in giving them some much-needed clarity is confirmation of when they can open their doors again.

“This is particularly important for hotels and tourism, where 60% of bookings are made more than two weeks in advance.”

The news also comes as the government is drawing up plans to form air bridges with Spain, Greece, Portugal, France and Australia which will see the 14-day quarantine rules scrapped in each country for visitors. 

The government has said no final decision has been made as of yet but many people are expecting updates on domestic tourism tomorrow.