Half term holidays hang in the balance as nationwide lockdown looms

The prospect of a half term getaway is looking increasingly unlikely for families across Britain, as a nationwide lockdown looms – and overseas countries tighten their own restrictions on UK holidaymakers. 

Yesterday, Downing Street admitted that a short-term “circuit break” lockdown, thought to be earmarked for October half term, is under consideration, while the Prime Minister warned of an ‘inevitable’ second wave across Britain. 

The ‘rule of six’, which now outlaws gatherings of more than six people, has rendered many UK staycations illegal already – but a new nationwide lockdown would, in theory, make any form of getaway or day out impossible. 

And, as at least 13.5 million people face local lockdown from Tuesday, the Mayor of London has warned of new restrictions across London, too.

For those hoping to escape Briton’s winter woes in sunnier climes, the outlook is also chilly: analysis by Telegraph Travel has revealed that Britons can now visit just 12 destinations without any travel restrictions. And, as our own infection rate soars, that list looks set to shrink even further. 

Scroll down for more breaking travel news.

12:00 PM

How to transform an Italian ‘ghost village’ into a rural utopia

Escaping the city is squarely on trend. As renters grew tired of living and working from cramped homes, applications for urban properties dropped 23 per cent in August. While, between April and June, 41 per cent buyers from cities bought a home in a town, suburb or countryside location. Some went a step further, opting to become digital nomads.

But, for those who wish to try out a completely different existence, Robert Zupan, founder of the Back to the Village project, could have the answer.

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Mr Zupan, who’s based in Trieste, Italy, is on the hunt for a European “ghost village” – there are at least 2,300 in Italy and more than 3,500 in Spain – to be the backdrop for a social experiment.

He explained: “We will restore like it used to be a century ago. In each house [I want] to place one person from each state in Europe, typical British, typical Spanish, typical Italian, German and so on. They’ll restore this village and make it self-sufficient.”

So far, he has a growing team behind the project, including German structural engineer Dr Christine Lemaitre as head of sustainable building and Alessio Princic, an architect, acting as an advisor.

Want to know more? Emma Featherstone has the full story.

11:43 AM

Cumbria Tourism survey reveals devastating losses for Lake District tourism

Research by Cumbria Tourism has revealed plummeting confidence levels among local tourism business as the prospect of a second national lockdown looms.

In the survey, which was completed by more than 150 tourism-related businesses across the county, almost half of respondents said they don’t feel confident that their business can survive the next six months. Nearly two-thirds said that they don’t feel confident about longer-term survival.

The survey also revealed that 10% of tourism businesses are still unable to reopen in a viable way; average spend is significantly down, and 23% of businesses plan to make redundancies.

The survey was carried out before the Government’s latest ‘rule of six’ announcement, which has had a further impact on bookings. 

As a result of the research, Cumbria Tourism has teamed up with Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron to renew its plea for urgent Government intervention – to support jobs, businesses and customers through winter.

The collective ask from the Government includes, but is not limited to:

• Support to help fund hospitality tourism jobs, November 2020 – March 2021

• VAT rate extension – the UK has some of the highest visitor taxes in the world

• Business rates holiday extension

• Business mortgage holiday extension

• Reintroduce ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ type initiatives during the winter months.

11:25 AM

British Airways launches £35 flight sale to Athens, Copenhagen, Milan – and more

British Airways has today released one million seats for under £35 each-way. The discount is available across BA’s European routes – including Athens, Bologna, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Milan, Venice and Naples.

Customers must book by September 22 to benefit from these fares, with travel dates until the end of March 2021.

British Airways Holidays is also offering price reductions on Caribbean breaks, with £100 off packages when booking between 18-22 September and travelling before 31 March 2021.

The airline has introduced various new health and safety measure on flights – including PPE for all customer-facing flight crew, a reduced meal service, and a ‘personal protection pack’ for passengers – which includes a sealable disposal bag, hand sanitising gel and an antibacterial wipe.

11:00 AM

Cornwall urges tourists to keep their distance

Cornwall Council is reminding beachgoers to maintain social distancing this weekend:

Many residents pleaded with tourists to ‘stay away’ earlier this year. However, a second lockdown would almost certainly spell disaster for local tourism and hospitality businesses. 

If you’re heading to the seaside this weekend, escape the crowds at one of England’s secret beaches – they’re sun-kissed (for now), sandy, and gloriously off-grid…

10:47 AM

Guatemala reopens borders and resumes international flights

Guatemala reopened its borders yesterday, and resumed international flights after a six-month shutdown. However, cases of Covid-19 are still rife in the Central American country: just as the country began welcoming visitors once again, President Alejandro Giammattei tested positive for the coronavirus. 

The FCDO currently advises against non-essential travel to Guatemala. 

10:27 AM

Qantas ‘flight to nowhere’ sells out in just ten minutes

When Qantas, Australia’s national carrier, announced it would operate a ‘flight to nowhere’ – an airborne sightseeing trip in a B787 Dreamliner – tickets sold out in just ten minutes. 

The seven-hour scenic flight will include “low level flybys of unique Australian destinations across Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales – including the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Byron Bay and iconic Sydney Harbour,” the airline promises. 

It’s not the only carrier to be touting ‘flights to nowhere’: similar ventures have already been launched by the likes of Royal Brunei, EVA Air, and Japan’s All Nippon Airways. Airlines say that the flights allow pilots to keep their licences current while fleets are grounded, and tourists get to sate their appetite for international travel – of sorts. 

The future of travel? Let’s hope not, says Simon Parker.

09:54 AM

Czech Republic reports 2,111 new cases

The Czech Republic has reported 2,111 new cases of Covid-19 for Friday, a slow down after four days of growth, Reuters reports.

The Czechs have seen the illness spreading at a record pace. Adjusted for population, only Spain and France within the European Union have seen a bigger jump in the last two weeks, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The overall number of confirmed cases reached 46,262 in the country of 10.7 million, the ministry said today.

09:52 AM

‘The travel industry will not survive without radical U-turn’ 

The UK Government “must urgently consider the beneficial practicalities of testing” at ports and airports, the CEO of TravelUp has told Telegraph Travel. 

Ali Shah, head of the Britain-based travel agent, said: “The travel industry will not survive without a radical U-turn. [Testing] can bring some life back into the industry and restore some consumer confidence before the sector reaches the point of no return. Yet to be effective we need governments across the globe to work together to create comprehensive testing programmes that transcend borders. 

“Only by doing so will we see a revival of travel and tourism internationally. If our leaders don’t act soon, many more companies will be doomed to fail, and we will likely see tens of thousands more jobs lost in the UK alone.”

The Telegraph is calling on the Government to green-light airport testing, as a safe and robust alternative to quarantine measures. Find out how to join our Test4Travel campaign.

09:22 AM

The rule of six has a silver lining: last-minute staycations at a (relative) steal

After the ‘rule of six’ was introduced this week, many large groups have had to cancel or postpone their holidays into 2021. However, travel companies have swiftly released discounts on their larger properties in an attempt to ensure that they don’t remain empty – meaning you can snap up a bargain or two…

Choristers’ House in Yorkshire – a National Trust property – currently has 20 per cent off bookings: 

Tregulland Cottage, on the edge of Dartmoor is available for around 50 per cent of the normal price:

Penny Walker has the full story.

09:03 AM

Tourist who broke rules partly responsible for Bolton surge, says council leader

A holidaymaker who did not self-isolate after returning to Bolton was partly responsible for the area’s “extreme spike” in coronavirus cases, the council leader has said.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Bolton Council leader David Greenhalgh said the area’s high rate had been linked back to pubs in the town and a “cohort of people” who refused to follow guidance.

The Conservative councillor said: “We had somebody who did not adhere to quarantine, did not stay the 14 days, literally went on a pub crawl with a number of mates.

“From that incident which took place over a weekend – (they) visited a number of premises – led to a large number of individual transmissions from that one person which you can imagine then is like holding back the tide because he then became symptomatic two days after they had all gone on this pub crawl.

“He was positive-tested the following day.

“That is four or five days where all the people he was in contact with have been going about their normal day-to-day business.”

09:01 AM

Coronavirus restrictions tightened in Dublin

Further lockdown restrictions have been introduced in Dublin, in a bid to control the local infection rate.

The measures, which were introduced overnight, have outlawed any organised indoor gatherings. Dining indoors in restaurants and pubs is now forbidden, with service restricted to outdoors only. 

Residents are discouraged from leaving the city, which reported 116 new cases yesterday. Visitors, meanwhile, are advised not to travel into the county except for work, education and other essential purposes.

Irish premier Micheal Martin warned that without further “urgent and decisive action”, Dublin risked a return to the height of its pandemic case rate. “But this is not inevitable. I understand how frustrated people are, how much we all want to put this pandemic behind us.

“But we have to remember, it is still deadly and we have to take action,” he added.

08:34 AM

Daily cases at three-month low in Australia’s hot spot

Victoria, the Australian state at the centre of the country’s outbreak, today reported its lowest daily increase of infections in three months – putting it on course to relax a hard lockdown in the capital city by the end of the month.

The state recorded 21 new cases in the prior 24 hours, less than half the previous day’s number and its lowest since June 24.

No other Australian states and territories have reported new case numbers, but each one – except Victoria – has seen just single-digit or no case increases for weeks.

Victoria also reported seven new deaths related to the virus, taking the national total to 844, according to government figures. 

Emma Beaumont met some of the holidaymakers trapped in Australia’s travel ban – many of whom have been unable to travel abroad for months. 

08:24 AM

What did we learn yesterday?

Here are some of yesterday’s main headlines:

• UK tourists warned of post-Brexit rule changes

• UK hospitality sector ‘still on a knife-edge’ as second lockdown looms

• Scotland facing some “hard but necessary” decisions, says Sturgeon

• Further Ryanair capacity cuts due to ‘defective’ EU quarantines