• Guidance on Tourism and the Visitor Economy, published today, will help to get the tourism sector back up and running so the public can safely take domestic holidays  and visit attractions on days out

• A new VisitEngland standard will ensure hotels, other accommodation providers and attractions are compliant with government regulations and guidance

• Timed tickets, cashless payments and social distancing to be in use for indoor and outdoor attractions


The Government has outlined the measures that will allow UK tourism and visitor attractions to reopen to the public, paving the way for an economic boost to local businesses and economies across the country. 

The guidance, published today by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, outlines the processes and facilities that businesses must put in place before reopening on July 4 so that both staff and visitors can be kept safe. 

The advice will include guidelines for hotels and accommodation providers – such as campsites, caravan parks and short term lets – as well as indoor and outdoor visitor attractions and conference and events centres. Providing the conditions of the guidance are met, the wider sector is currently expected to open from 4 July 2020. 

The guidance makes clear that the following measures should be put in place: 

• Hotels and accommodation providers will introduce deep cleaning regimes between guests.
• Meal services including breakfasts will be pre-booked and timed.

• Timed tickets will be introduced for exhibitions, theme parks, galleries and attractions to reduce the number of visitors in locations at the same time.

• One way systems, clear floor markings and a queue management system should be in place to maintain social distancing measures at all attractions and help to limit contact between both staff and visitors. 

• Organisations will also encourage cashless payments throughout to avoid cross contamination. 

• In addition, visitor attractions will be instructed to introduce regular deep cleaning regimes across their site and some interactive displays will be temporarily closed.


A new industry standard will also be introduced by VisitEngland for hotels, accommodation providers and visitor attractions to reassure the public that businesses are adhering to government guidance. This will act as a marker to visitors that a venue is practising social distancing, maintaining cleaning routines and has undertaken a thorough risk assessment to protect customers when on site.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:

Britain needs a break, and from July 4th people can now take a well deserved staycation. We’ll need the public to keep safe on holiday by following the advice we’re providing, but there is no doubt this is the news many have been waiting for.  I am looking forward to a British holiday myself.

Our guidance will help the tourism businesses reopen safely, reassure locals and allow businesses to welcome guests back with confidence.

VisitEngland Director Patricia Yates said:

Millions of jobs and local economies across England are reliant on tourism so it is fantastic news that the industry can plan with confidence to  reopen and to welcome visitors back safely working within the new guidelines. Guidance is also being published for conferences and events which builds upon the guidance for the tourism sector and businesses. 

This guidance will be for people in England. When visiting Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, members of the public must adhere to the advice of the devolved administrations at all times.

It is part of the government’s clear, phased approach to recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, as outlined in the Prime Minister’s roadmap.

Read the guidance in full

Highways England is today (Wednesday 24 June) asking people who live, work and travel in and around Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire to have their say on the latest designs for the multi-million pound A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements in the latest consultation.

The design refinements have been made after detailed analysis of the 925 responses received during last summer’s consultation, as well as new technical information and engagement with the local community and organisations.

The proposed upgrade will see a new 10-mile dual carriageway built linking the A1 Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire to the A428 Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire. Both existing roundabouts would also be upgraded into modern, free-flowing junctions and a new junction would be added at Cambridge Road, near St Neots.

The project would replace the only remaining section of single carriageway between Milton Keynes and Cambridge and tackle one of the region’s most notorious congestion hotspots.

The five-week consultation begins today (00:01 Wednesday 24 June) and will end at 23:59 on Tuesday 28 July.

People can respond to the consultation by visiting Highways England’s virtual consultation room, where they can also hear about the changes from Highways England’s technical team, and explore maps and more details about the proposals. Alternatively forms via Freepost are available, or people can send their response by email – the consultation page has more details on how people can respond.

Lee Galloway, Highways England A428 programme lead, said:

The A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements will transform one of the busiest road links in the East of England, helping to save drivers who live, work and travel in and around Bedfordshire and Cambridge an hour-and-a-half on their journeys every week.

Getting the views of drivers, the local community and businesses is crucial to designing a project that will offer the best value, maximise the benefits for all, while reducing the impact on the local communities and the environment.

Key changes include:

• the creation of four “borrow pits”, close to where we are building the embankments at Roxton Road, Black Cat junction and Caxton Gibbet junction. This will considerably reduce the need to transport construction materials and will also reduce construction traffic on public roads, while also making the project more sustainable by using earth and spoil from local sources
• improving safety for walkers, cyclists and horse riders by upgrading crossings and creating more convenient off-road routes
• reducing the visual impact of the scheme by improved landscaping, and planting locally sourced trees and shrubs
• minimising the disruption to existing businesses and reducing the impact on agricultural land, reducing the impact on farmers by using less land where possible
• changes to local access roads to help improve driver access

Once the consultation closes, Highways England will analyse the new responses ahead of finalising its plans to seek planning consent for the project from Government, by submitting a Development Consent Order (DCO) application later this year.

As part of the DCO application, Highways England will submit a Consultation Report, explaining how the issues raised during both consultations were considered and responded to.

Roads Minister Baroness Vere said:

Our roads play a critical role in keeping Britain moving and this project will help to change people’s everyday journeys across the East of England, improving vital links and helping to reduce congestion.

We encourage everyone to have their say during this consultation, and be part of the change as we continue to invest and level up across the country.

Highways England will be taking an innovative new approach to the consultation, designed to let people find out about the plans and put their questions to the project team, while respecting the current COVID-19 guidelines. These will include:

• a virtual consultation room where people can log on from home via laptop or mobile device to hear about the changes from Highways England’s technical team, and explore maps and more details about the proposals
• live webchats with the Highways England technical team who can answer any questions that people have about the scheme (Thursday 2 July 2020 10:00 to 14:00, Thursday 16 July 2020 15:00 to 19:00)
• telephone information events where people can dial in to hear more details about the consultation. To join dial 0800 640 4956 (Monday 29 June 2020 15:00 to 19:00, Monday 13 July 2020 10:00 to 14:00)

To keep up to date with the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme visit the scheme webpage or follow the follow @HighwaysEAST on Twitter.

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The texts cover issues including gender equality, rural development, land reform, green energy, legislative drafting and tourism development.

Receiving the books, Chief Justice Palmer said they are important resources for judges, magistrates, lawyers and others who may wish to do research in our High Court Library.

Chief Justice Palmer said:

While in this technologically advanced age, a lot of research can be carried out through the internet, the need and importance of books remain very much the same for not all material contained in books are available over the internet.

These texts help make it possible for our people in the Judiciary and the Legal Sector to be able to do research and will help ensure that the quality of work, whether in terms of submissions or judgements are maintained at a consistently high level.

The books were provided by the British High Commission Honiara, working with the Solomon Islands Justice Programme and the Australian government in supporting the Justice Sector across Solomon Islands.

Handing over the books, British High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Nauru, His Excellency, Dr. Brian Jones, said legal practice across the Commonwealth is constantly evolving.

He added:

I am honoured to be able to assist the Solomon Islands Judiciary, under Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer, to keep pace with the latest legal developments across a range of vital issues relevant to Solomon Islands’ development. Issues such as gender equality and rural development have complex legal elements and it is important that the legal profession have such resources available at their fingertips to consult here.

He also mentioned that a strong judicial system is at the heart of a strong, prosperous Solomon Islands and he is happy to continue the UK and Commonwealth’s support towards that objective.

The books were passed onto High Court Librarian, Julia Funu Oroa, who will be responsible for cataloguing them and adding them to the High Court Library.