With hopes that restrictions on social contact in England could be lifted from June 21, it seems holidaymakers are already looking to make up for lost time with loved ones by booking large group holidays post-lockdown.
In fact, a number of travel firms are seeing surges in bookings for large group getaways for July and August.
Big Cottages alone has seen a 600% increase for groups of 22, not to mention it says there has been a booking for a party of 32 people.
Under England's lockdown roadmap, the government has said it is looking to remove all legal limits on social contact from June 21, meaning the end of the 'rule of six' indoors, and of limits on the number of people at outdoor gatherings.
Matt Fox, CEO of the Rest Easy Group which includes firms such as Big Cottages and Snaptrip, says that the brands are seeing notable spikes in large group getaways.
He notes that Big Cottages has "seen some of the largest group bookings we’ve ever had", commenting: "Bookings for seven or more guests have been extremely popular, with a 188% increase in bookings for groups of eight and a 131% increase in bookings for groups of eleven As we move closer to the roadmap checkpoints and beyond, we only expect larger bookings to increase."
In fact, Snaptrip's bookings for July are already set to be busier than a pre-pandemic year.
Typically August has always been its busiest month, with Mr Fox adding that "this data suggests just how eager the public are to travel in the UK as soon as the roadmap checkpoint of the 21st June is reached".
These are only expected to increase as holiday companies brace themselves for last-minute bookings the closer England edges to the end of lockdown.
Meanwhile Graham Donoghue, chief executive of Sykes Holiday Cottages, says that the company has also seen an uplift in group bookings from June 21 onwards, with bookings for groups of three or more already up 77% compared to last year. He too anticipates that bookings will increase as we move closer to the end of lockdown.
Some Brits are also booking although holding off until a little later in the year.
A spokesperson for Awaze UK, the company behind brands such as Cottages.com and holiday parks firm Hoseasons, says that there has been a "a recent increase in confidence in customers booking larger properties, particularly from the later summer months and into the Autumn" across its brands, particularly for early July and September.
They added; "Cottage holidays in particular are proving to be very popular, as they often offer large-scale accommodation with lots of private space. Across the board we are continuing to see demand for all party sizes though, and in line with permitted Government restrictions being lifted as planned we expect 2021 to be a very popular year for domestic holidays."
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