Holiday lets could reopen in the UK in April if coronavirus infections continue to fall, the Government has said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that ‘self-contained’ accommodation - like holiday lets without shared facilities - can reopen under step two of the lockdown easing plan.
This means some holiday lets will provisionally be made available from April 12, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Holiday companies will have different rules and regulations when they reopen but many will be able to welcome guests as early as mid-April if the Government is able to reach step two of its reopening plan.
The reopening options depend on certain criteria about Covid infection cases being fulfilled but signs are now looking more positive for the holiday industry.
Here is a round-up of what Haven, AirBnB and Center Parcs are saying.
Haven
Haven has put out a short statement on social media about its plans.
On February 23, it said on Twitter: "English parks update: whilst we’re sad to not be able to open during March as planned, we’re super excited to be able to open our doors in April and we’re planning to get you back onto park from Monday 12th."
The next day, the company provided an update for its Scottish and Welsh parks.
It said: "Following our English park closures announcement yesterday, we’re really sad that our Scottish and Welsh parks are following suit and will be closed up to and including Thurs 1 April."
More updates can be found here. You can see their holidays here.
Airbnb
Airbnb does have listings open across the country and many of them will be self-accommodation in keeping with Government guidelines.
You can book for later in the year but each listing will have a different cancellation policy.
Airbnb says: "Cancellation policies are set by hosts and vary between flexible, moderate, and strict, depending on the listing. You can find details about the cancellation policy of each place to stay on the main page of each listing."
Once they are open again new cleaning and safety measures will be in place. From 20 November, all hosts (except in China) have been required to commit to Airbnb's new Covid-19 safety and cleaning practices.
You can see the latest updates here.
Center Parcs
Center Parcs is not currently open but it is taking bookings. It has not announced any updates yet after the Government announcement.
It says: "At Center Parcs, we’ve worked hard to ensure our villages are safe for your family to enjoy doing the things you’re missing the most.
"So when it's time to get away from it all and spend quality time together, try our new experiences and create memories that will last a lifetime."
It also comes with a booking guarantee and has information on the new experiences guests can expect so that everybody can remain safe. Their updates will be put on their website here.
