It comes despite government giving the UK domestic holiday sector the green light to resume operations from 4 July, so long as they can do so while ensuring guests’ safety from coronavirus.
"Following last week’s announcement from the government on the continued closure of pools and live entertainment, we have been waiting for further clarification on when and how we can open these facilities for you," said Butlin’s in a statement issued on Wednesday (1 July).
"Sadly, we haven’t had a further update, and with breaks fast-approaching, we have now extended the closure of our resorts to the 23 July.
"We know this has been a frustrating time for all, and we thank everyone for their continued patience as we continue to work towards reopening our resorts."
Guests with affected breaks will receive either an email, text or letter asking them to complete a form to inform Butlin’s of how they would like to proceed with their booking. Alternatively, guests can head to the Butlin’s website to see what their options are.
"For those guests who have breaks booked after the 23 July, we know this is an unsettling time," the operator added. "We’d like to assure them we continue to have discussions around opening very soon and are exploring different ways to bring guests the Butlin’s experience we know they are looking forward to.
"We will provide all guests with a minimum of 14 days notice if there are any changes to their break and of course they also have the option of our Coronavirus Book with Confidence Guarantee, which allows them to move their break or request a full refund between three and 28 days prior to the arrival date."
Butlin’s has also cancelled its Live Music Weekends in September, but stressed this will not affect family breaks.
"The reason for this is that our Live Music Weekends are a place where guests come to dance, party and socialise," said Butlin’s.
"Unfortunately, with the current social distancing rules in place, we can’t make Weekenders as enjoyable as guests might expect - unlike our family breaks where entertainment is seated, and social distancing can be maintained.
"We will be providing an update as soon as we can on the steps we are taking on family breaks to make sure that our guests are safe and secure on resort."
Guests booked on Live Music Weekends beyond September will be contacted at a later date.
