TENDRING’S Sunshine Coast has been named as one of the top spots for safe family staycations this summer.

Twinkl, which is known for its educational resources, has been helping families across the UK to plan their summer trips.

It has included identifying the safest family locations across the country in the wake of Covid-19.

It said Essex, including Tendring’s coastline, is one of the safest places to visit after examining several factors, such as volume of outdoor activities, population density and hotel availability.

Leon Smith, chief customer officer at Twinkl, said: “For many families, it’s nearly two years since they had a real getaway and, of course, safety is still of paramount importance.

“As international travel continues to carry uncertainty, it’s the perfect time to consider a UK break in general, but a particularly great time to consider Essex.”

Measures have been put in place to make Tendring safer this summer, while opening up to tourists.

Clacton’s Airshow, which attracts tens of thousands of people each summer, has instead been replaced with a toned down event featuring flights by the Red Arrows and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight on August 26 and 27 to mark the town’s 150th birthday.

Alex Porter, Tendring Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said the Essex Sunshine Coast was a safe place to visit.

“It is no surprise this survey has put Essex high on the list for safe places to visit, and we certainly hope it encourages people to come,” he said.

“Looking at how they determined the list, we do have relatively low Covid-19 rates and both the community and authorities have been working hard to follow the rules and keep everybody safe while we have a large number of outdoor activities too which people can enjoy safely.

“With us now on Step 4 of the roadmap all attractions can open, and it is pleasing to see so many of them still encouraging face mask wearing and regular hand washing, as well as social distancing, so we can continue to keep on top of this virus.

“We also have put measures in place to enable events to go ahead, such as our Clacton 150 Anniversary Flights with no ground attractions so people can spread right out.

“While the survey doesn’t factor this in, Essex is also a safe place to visit in terms of crime, and we work closely with our partners at Essex Police to ensure visible patrols, especially during the busy summer season.

“Meanwhile on our seafront we have our dedicated Tendring Beach Patrol teams, along with other volunteer lifesaving organisations, helping to keep people safe on our seafronts too.”

Attractions in north Essex this year will also include the Octopus Ahoy! trail, Street Tag, and the Clacton 150 Heritage Trail.