Holidays abroad will be back ‘with certainty’ from May, predicts travel expert

BRITS will be back on their travels from May, a travel expert has predicted. Paul Charles from the PC Agency, who made the headlines weekly over the last few months with his predictions on which countries would lose their UK travel corridors, reckons it’ll all start with staycations in March. He tweeted: “I was asked […]

BRITS will be back on their travels from May, a travel expert has predicted.

Paul Charles from the PC Agency, who made the headlines weekly over the last few months with his predictions on which countries would lose their UK travel corridors, reckons it’ll all start with staycations in March.

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Paul Charles from the PC Agency predicts staycations will start in March and short-haul from late-April[/caption]

He tweeted: “I was asked when I thought holidays would be “on” again? I’d book for 1st May onwards with certainty. 

“Staycations will return from March onwards. Short-haul from late April; long-haul from Sept.

“The Oxford vaccine go-ahead will vastly boost confidence [but] UK tier restrictions (and new strain travel bans) will curtail most overseas travel until March. 

“Short-haul will properly open up after Easter as warmer days return.

“Most long-haul borders will only fully open after summer with vaccine programmes underway.”

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The news that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved is likely to boost confidence in the travel industry [/caption]

Mr Charles’s views echo those of Kate Bingham, the head of the vaccine task force has declared.

In an interview with Radio 4 earlier this month, Ms Bingham said that she believed Brits should be able to jet off on their summer holidays next year.

She told Radio 4: “My gut feel is that we will all be going on summer holidays.

“It is likely that those people most at risk will be vaccinated through to April, and then the [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation] and the Department for Health will then consider how to broaden out the vaccinations to other adults.

“I think by the summer we should be in a much better place to get on planes.”

Following the news that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved by regulators, Emma Coulthurst from holiday price comparison site, TravelSupermarket predicts prices for trips are set to surge.

Britain has enough Covid vaccine doses to immunise the entire population – with 24 million to get the jab before Easter.

Ms Coulthurst said: “When the news of the Pfizer vaccine hit last month, price comparison searches surged by 54 per cent week on week.

“There will be an increase in people searching for holidays on the back of today’s news.

“But searches translating to bookings is likely to continue to be highest for June and July next year, when people are hoping that the world will be different. “