Earlier this week, Boris Johnson unveiled his plans for the UK’s roadmap to exit lockdown. The nation listened closely as the Prime Minister detailed his step-by-step strategy to safely emerge from the pandemic. 

As one of the worst hit sectors, the aviation industry must ensure to work closely with the Global Travel Taskforce to make certain that robust strategies are in place for safe international travel. 

The PM has outlined that the date for international travel will not commence before the 17th of May, however, this will of course be subject to review closer to the time and encourages our domestic travel industry. 

Nevertheless, this brings much hope to many Brits who can finally have some insight into what their summer could look like and as Boris said it “gives people time to make plans”. Vaccine rollouts from now till then will also promote greater consumer confidence in those seeking to travel and finally go on holiday. 

Since Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday night, airlines and various travel companies have reported a surge in holiday bookings. EasyJet has stated that flight bookings have risen by 337% compared to the week prior, with destinations such as Spain, Greece and Turkey as top choice amongst travelers. 

The UK has implemented one of the toughest lockdown and quarantine measurement schemes after being hit hard with the virus. The government recently enforced mandatory quarantine in hotels following recent travel from one of the Red List Countries. 

How this looks for the UK travel industry, in conjunction with the uncertainty of other countries measurements, is this may encourage an increase in domestic travel in the country. With many visitors, especially families with children, coming to busy cities like London, short staycations are set to boom once again. 

Following on from last years’ trend, once restrictions are lifted in 2021, this year is looking to be a bumper as many people are looking to enjoy the freedom and travel around the UK for a break. 

It is also a fantastic opportunity for companies such as SMARTHOST, who offer short-term accommodation, as many guests would prefer to rent out Airbnb apartments, as opposed to staying in hotels which are likely to be busy with many international tourists. Many of our landlords took advantage of this incline in domestic travel last summer and opted for our short-let packages which complimented demand successfully. 

We have also witnessed a number of buy-to-let landlords branching into short let holiday rentals, which can often be much more financially rewarding in the right location at the right time. One of the most popular booking platforms, Airbnb has played an important part in this boom and we are proud to work closely with the company to market and book many of the short-let properties under our management. 

With a large number of landlords diversifying their portfolios and gaining a significantly higher yield for short term rentals, this on top of Brexit and Covid-19 are set to further strengthen this market.