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Tourism businesses in Wales and Scotland hit by government travel advisories

breacon beacons - Getty
breacon beacons - Getty

Welsh holidaymakers are facing a dismal few months. Nearly two thirds of the Welsh population are living under local lockdown. Meanwhile, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has advised that people should think “very carefully” before making non-essential journeys in Wales.

In Scotland, would-be holidaymakers have also been issued advice against travel. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has asked people not to book overseas trips for the half-term holiday. She also said: “Please think of the October break as an opportunity to further limit social interaction.”

Tourism businesses in both countries, having weathered months of national lockdown, are now faced with either restrictive measures or much reduced confidence among holidaymakers, or both.

Worst off are those running operations within areas of local lockdown in Wales. In these regions, residents are not allowed to leave except for essential reasons and non residents are not permitted entry “without reasonable excuse”.

Tom Beynon, manager of the Three Cliffs Bay holiday park in Penmaen, Swansea is among those running a business under such circumstances. He told Telegraph Travel. “We have 400 bookings between now and the end of season, it’s hard to get guests to take vouchers for next year when they don’t know if they will be open. People are losing faith and want refunds."

He added: "There is no vaccine. The world has to carry on, albeit with sensible precautions in place. What is the game plan [for ending restrictions]? We never understand that from the Government. [The worst thing for] businesses is uncertainty."

The holiday park's season runs from April to November and now, having been closed for April, May, June and much of July, it has only been able to operate as usual for a few weeks before facing fresh difficulties.

“August was looking busier, we had 55 tents and caravans here, now there’s only five,” Mr Beynon added.

People travelling to parts of Wales that are not under local lockdown can book a holiday with members of their household or extended household in self-contained accommodation, hotels, B&Bs and campsites.

However, the latest travel advice from Mark Drakeford is “disastrous” for Welsh attractions, according to Ashford Price, chairman of the Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions (WAVA). Mr Price said: “I fear mass redundancies, with some attractions struggling to survive till next Easter.” Some 88 per cent of WAVA members are planning redundancies, according to its latest survey.

A Welsh Government spokesperson told Telegraph Travel: “There are no legal restrictions on people travelling to parts of Wales which are not under local restrictions, but we are asking people to think very carefully about making journeys. People should not travel if they are unwell with symptoms of Coronavirus.”

They pointed to the £140 million additional funding that the Welsh Government has made available to support businesses, which was announced on September 28.

kilchurn caslte - Getty
kilchurn caslte - Getty

Scotland, meanwhile, doesn’t have any legal bans on travel in place, despite Nicola Sturgeon's most recent requests regarding travel. Scotland-based tourism businesses, however, are dealing with reaction to Ms Sturgeon's advice and coping with other Covid rules that have recently come into force.

Emma Crabtree, founder of Crabtree & Crabtree, which offers holiday homes in Scotland and on its borders, said: “Whilst obviously the measures put in place across Scotland and the North East have been a blow, [my business] hasseen a staggering amount of cancellations since the rule of six and local lockdowns have been announced. Nicola [Sturgeon’s] advice to limit social interactions over half term certainly hasn’t helped consumer confidence.”

This dent in customer confidence has, however, left an opening for those yet to book an autumn break. They will now find that now there is room to spare in Scotland, said Ms Crabtree.

“For bigger families, it is worth noting that in Scotland, children under 12 don’t count as part of your six, so this is still tempting customers to spend their half term in Scotland [assuming restrictions allow],” she added.

Ms Sturgeon’s comments have hit Scottish firms booking overseas breaks. Given that Scotland’s quarantine list has, at times, been more stringent than England’s – mainland Greece and its islands are currently on Scotland’s red-list, whereas England, Wales and Northern Ireland only have quarantine in place for certain Greek islands – consumer confidence in Scotland is already damaged.

In response to the Scottish First Minister’s latest pleas against foreign travel, Mike Tibbert, vice president of the Scottish Passenger Agents Association, said: "We seem to have government announcements actively designed to destroy travel jobs and the whole industry.”