Owners of hotels and other holiday accommodation have seen a sharp increase in bookings as the industry prepares cautiously to reopen.
The announcement has caused mixed feelings in popular holiday destinations, with residents supporting the return of tourism while expressing nervousness over the virus.
The hotel bookings website lastminute.com said that there had been a 45 per cent rise in English hotel bookings, week on week.
David Weston, chairman of the Bed and Breakfast Association, also noted a sudden rise. “People have already been booking from July,” he said.
In Cornwall, where there have been well-documented tensions between tourists and locals during the pandemic, many accommodation providers were looking forward to reopening.
Danielle Watson-Smyth, who runs the Lellizzick Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast in Padstow,