Holidays this year might be back on the cards, but the experience is set to be a very different one, with staples like the hotel breakfast buffet likely to be scrapped.

The traditional in-flight drink which many holidaymakers enjoy to celebrate the beginning of their break is also in doubt, with some airlines suspending or limiting their bistro services for now.

The restarting of domestic tourism next month and news of a relaxation of quarantine arrangements on foreign trips has been welcomed by the travel industry, but insiders acknowledged the changes to how holidays might feel.

VisitBritain's director of strategy and communications Patricia Yates said holidays will "look very different".

She told BBC Breakfast: "I love hotel buffet breakfasts - they are a thing of the past. And hotels will have to have social distancing so they won't be opening at full occupancy and businesses will have to look at the sort of services they provide and really pruning those down to make sure that the infection control, that the cleansing regime, is right, and that they can have social distancing.

"Be prepared for some things not to look quite as you normally expect them."

It comes as blanket travel restrictions are set to be eased from the start of next month.

Holidaymakers are expected to be able to travel in Europe this summer and not need to quarantine for 14 days when returning from abroad.

The list of countries is though to include Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Turkey, Germany and Norway - but not Portugal or Sweden.

The full list of travel corridors with the UK will be published next week.

Jonathan Smith, from the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta), said things like eateries only offering table service and new rules on flights will be different, but they should make the experience "safe and enjoyable".

He told the same programme: "It's very likely that people's holiday experience won't be the same as they had expected.

"There'll certainly be rules in place around airports and on aeroplanes, and if they're going on a package holiday there might be changes around buffet-style restaurant systems, and there'll be table service in place so there will be slight changes in place, but it's all about making sure that the holiday experience is safe and enjoyable."

Ms Yates warned people may experience a "real nervousness" around travel, as she warned the industry has suffered a loss of around £37 billion during lockdown.

VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, is launching a "We're Good To Go" Covid-19 industry standard and consumer mark to show that holiday operators are adhering to safety measures put in place by the Government.

Ms Yates said: "We've been doing weekly consumer sentiment and we've seen a real nervousness about travelling, even domestically, through the summer.

"With the change in Government advice, we're hoping that that will change and obviously the mark is there to try and convince people, and we're doing a reassurance campaign in the short term so persuading people that they can travel, that it's socially responsible to travel and that they can look out for the mark and know that businesses know what they're doing."

Both Ms Yates and Mr Smith said they are hopeful tourism can be "kick-started" over the summer, as the rules change.

Mr Smith said Abta welcomes the "risk-based approach" taken by the Government in choosing to review blanket quarantine arrangements for UK arrivals in favour of a new traffic light system.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he added: "I think this is incredibly welcome news for the travel industry, which has had a very difficult time these weeks and months, and will encourage people to book and allow them to enjoy a summer holiday."

Ms Yates said she hopes the travel season could be extended beyond August to try and make up for some of the losses the sector has suffered since Easter.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, welcomed the "good news" around foreign travel but said people should still be able to re-book for free if they are unable to go on planned holidays due to health concerns or the risk in their destination country.

He said: "Airlines and tour operators should offer free rebooking for people who cannot travel, whether that be due to health risks or because they are travelling to countries where the coronavirus risk is still deemed to be too high."