Is Covid making a summer break something only the rich can afford? Report in the Guardian

Rocketing prices at home, and costly tests if you leave the UK, mean many who need a break simply cannot afford it 

Next week, Sally Neuman is going on holiday. But instead of jetting off to a Mediterranean beach or heading to an idyllic cottage in the UK countryside, she is going to stay with her daughter in London for four days.

Neuman, an NHS worker on the Isle of Wight, is planning to take her young granddaughter to a few museums. But mostly, after 16 months of working flat out during the pandemic, she is simply looking forward to a change of scene.

“I haven’t been away since 2018, and I’d love to get a real break, to relax by a pool. But a proper holiday is out of the question,” she said.

“Prices in the UK have jumped, and the costs and risks of going abroad are too high. I don’t know of any frontline colleagues who are getting on a plane because no one can afford to isolate on the way back if the rules change.”

Neuman is one of thousands of people who are forgoing a holiday this summer because of the cost, hassle and potential risks. Ministers have urged Britons to holiday at home but big rises in the cost of accommodation and limited availability have made that impossible for many.

Inevitably, it is the people who have been most stretched during the pandemic, poorly paid frontline workers, who are in greatest need of a break and least able to afford one.

This is borne out in data from the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. It found that among people in higher social and economic groups, 27% said they had taken a holiday in the UK and 8% said they had taken a holiday abroad this year. Among poorer social groups, 17% said they had taken a holiday in the UK, with 5% saying they had taken a holiday abroad.

A fifth (20%) of the wealthier group said they had booked a UK holiday for later in the year; that figure was 13% for the poorer group. Almost two-thirds (64%) of the poorer group said they had not taken and had not booked a holiday this year; that figure was 52% for the wealthier group.

“Only the better off can afford to take a holiday this year,” said Rory Boland, travel editor of the consumer magazine Which? “It’s simply out of range for many people.

“For lots of people who have worked incredibly hard during the pandemic, probably top of their wishlist would be a week on a beach, either here or abroad.

“Some say holidays are ‘non-essential’, but so is going to the pub, or a football match or the theatre. Many people really deserve a break.”

For those heading abroad, the cost of Covid tests can work out higher than the cost of flights. Fully vaccinated travellers to Spain need to pay £91 for each person for two tests on return to the UK, according to Which? Unvaccinated travellers must spend £219 for four tests.

“Even at the cheaper end, that can add up to nearly £200 for a couple. That is a meaningful extra cost for lots of people that simply prices them out of a holiday,” said Boland.

The cost of holidaying in the UK has risen significantly. Holiday-let data analysts AirDNA recently calculated that the cost of accommodation this year compared with 2019 had increased by 30% in Cornwall, 40% in Skegness and 27% in Pembrokeshire. Car rental prices have doubled in some cases, and train trips within the UK can be two or three times the cost of a cheap flight abroad.

Until little more than 100 years ago, holidays were the preserve of the affluent. Going abroad became commonplace only in the 50s and 60s with the emergence of the package holiday. Now, according to Michael Hitchcock, professor of cultural policy and tourism at Goldsmiths, University of London, holidays are “seen as a measure of a country’s economic and social development – it’s associated with notions of prosperity and wellbeing.

Barmouth in Wales, where Mary Higham from Liverpool went on holiday

“The idea that we all have a right to a holiday is very deeply embedded in British culture. It’s one of the things people talk about to friends and colleagues. Children’s first memories are often about a family holiday. For young people, to go on holiday with your mates for the first time is a rite of passage.”

The holiday accommodation sector was understandably keen to recoup some of the losses incurred as a result of restrictions on travel, domestically and internationally, during the pandemic, said Marina Novelli, professor of tourism and international development at the University of Brighton’s business school.

“But what is worrying is if what is happening today is here to stay. When mainland Europe moved its currencies to the euro, prices increased dramatically – and didn’t go back down. If today’s increased prices stay, there won’t be the recovery we all hope for.”

For Neuman, living in one of the UK’s top holiday destinations does not lessen the need to get away. “It’s absolutely heaving here – the beaches are bumper-to-bumper, there’s nowhere to park and prices have been jacked up.

“Everyone needs a break, and the only time you can get one is when you get away from home. To be honest, I’m not even thinking about next year – maybe the year after?

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/aug/07/covid-is-making-a-summer-break-something-only-the-rich-can-afford

More News

Tourism Society welcomes the government consultation on accommodation registration

The Tourism Society is pleased to support the government’s call for evidence on tourism accommodation registration, in response to the growth and impact of short-term holiday lettings.  We are encouraging...

Tourism Society welcomes Government response to De Bois Review of DMOs

The Tourism Society, the professional membership body for people working in all sectors of the visitor economy, welcomes the government response to the independent review of destination management organisations in...

The Tourism Society Welcomes a New Chair

The Head of Secretariat, Alison Cryer, of the Tourism Society is delighted to announce the new Tourism Society Chair Deborah Heather, who was elected at the 45th Anniversary AGM. Deborah...

Yorkshire Tourism – An update from Tourism Society Yorkshire chairman, John Gallery

As many colleagues will know, the destination marketing organisation (DMO) for Yorkshire, Welcome to Yorkshire, was placed into administration at the end of March 2022.   The lead up to...

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours for Tourism

The following Honours were published yesterday.  Congratulations to all from the Tourism Society. Sally Jane Balcombe. Chief Executive, VisitBritain. For services to Tourism.  OBE Nicholas De Bois. Chair, VisitEngland Advisory...

Scots look at travelling to the Med again in 2022

After running the Scottish Tourism Index for several waves during the peak of the pandemic as a means of tracking the views of the Scottish population around holidays and breaks,...

Latest BVA/BDRC ClearSight survey on attitudes to travel & tourism

Summary of findings Air Travel & International Holidays back on the Menu The proportion of Brits booking an international holiday rose to its highest level in two years during January....

Featured in the latest Journal -Turning over a Green Leaf in the New Forest

Building a resilient, responsible and regenerative local visitor economy is crucial in a world experiencing economic crises, pandemics, and climate change.  Go New Forest has just launched its Green Leaf...

VisitBritain/VisitEngland CEO Sally Balcombe to step down

10 January 2022 VisitBritain/VisitEngland CEO Sally Balcombe has announced that she is stepping down from the role in spring this year. Ms Balcombe, who has been CEO, first of VisitBritain...

Geotourist – ‘one to watch’!

Tourism Society member, Geotourist, working with Historic Environment Scotland, has been named as ‘One To Watch’ at the World Responsible Travel Awards for their compelling platform concept that draws visitors...