Will summer holidays go ahead in 2020? When might tourism in the UK and abroad restart after lockdown?

Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently indicated that the summer season for holidays abroad is very likely to be cancelled

(Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images)

He told ITV's This Morning that it is "unlikely that big, lavish, international holidays are going to be possible this summer.”

The Foreign Office continues to advise against all non-essential international travel, advice which originally took effect on 17 March for a period of 30 days, but has since been extended indefinitely.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented international border closures and other restrictions,” said the FCO. “All countries may restrict travel without notice.”

(Photo: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

That indefinite ruling remains in place, even as other countries begin to relax their measures; there's no telling how things will play out.

Will my summer holiday plans happen?

The short answer to this question, regardless of where in the UK you are based, is ‘probably not’.

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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he would certainly not be booking a summer holiday at present.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme in April, Mr Shapps said that "clearly people will want to see what the trajectory of this disease is in the next few weeks".

"I won't be booking a summer holiday at this point, let's put it that way."

Will I have to quarantine if I do travel?

The future is more than uncertain than ever at the moment, but it looks as though even if travel does get the go-ahead this year, you won’t be able to enjoy much of your time when you arrive at your destination – or indeed get back home.

The UK Government now requires all arrivals into the UK to quarantine for a 14-day period, even if they are UK citizens.

But that’s just coming back; your holiday plans could be scuppered at the other end too, with various measures in place as other countries attempt to stop further outbreaks of Covid-19 being imported from overseas.

Will there be any travel agreements?

There has been a lot of talk about ‘air bridges’ recently.

An ‘air bridge’ is simply a route between two countries where the outbreak of coronavirus is under control.

Such routes would allow tourists to travel freely between a number of approved countries, and avoid having to go into mandatory quarantine on either end.

Elsewhere, plans are being made to create tourism "bubbles" - allowing countries to open borders with similar coronavirus epidemiology profiles. In the Baltic states, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia became some of the first countries to open their borders to each other in May.

What about holidaying closer to home?

With the options for international summer travel proving slimmer than ever, many will be looking to home for tourism ideas, but that might prove just as problematic this year.

Though lockdown restrictions may have lifted in England to allow unlimited travel within its borders for exercise, other areas of the UK are still advising people keep travel local – unless for essential reasons – until further notice.

As part of Boris Johnson’s three-part plan to reopen society, hospitality venues including hotels, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation, could reopen from 4 July, providing they meet new Covid Secure Guidelines to ensure public health and safety.

However, the nation's beauty spots are cautious about welcoming a surge of holidaymakers after lockdown, with many destinations urging visitors to stay away.

If infection rates continue to fall, it is possible that they may gradually begin to welcome visitors this summer, although this is likely to be in a controlled manner.