Social media users have begun a light-hearted campaign to discourage people from UK tourist destinations as lockdown flouters continue to flock to the countryside.
The #Don’tVisit challenge was started on Twitter on Saturday as a funny way of dissuading travel to popular places in Wales and Scotland.
Online participants produced posters in the style of the vintage travel adverts, warning tourists to stay home rather than risk the spread of coronavirus.
Do NOT try Wales: Social media users use the #Don’tVisit hashtag to share posters aimed at dissuading tourists from visiting their hometowns during the coronavirus lockdown
Posters range from specific popular destinations to broad messages ironically telling potential flouters they are not welcome at the moment
Baa-d Idea: One poster features the now infamous Llandudno goats who were spotted roaming the streets of the town last week while people stayed at home
The trend began with the hashtag ‘Don’t Visit Wales’ and series of cheeky posters featuring popular Welsh destinations.
A selection was tweeted by BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine, who shared them with the caption: ‘Congrats to everyone involved in the #dontvisitwaleschallenge because these are superb.’
He posted a selection of posters, including one for Wales’ highest mountain, that reads: ‘Snowdonia: Don’t even think about it.’
Another, advertising the Pass of Aberglasyn, reads: ‘North Wales, Better not.’
One for the Welsh Coast reads: ‘Gower Way, Wales: Come visit later’ above a picture of a deck chair.
Cwm bach later: The posters appeal to potential tourists to come to attractive destinations – but only once the lockdown is over
‘Cardiff nay’: The posters use vintage travel advert and postcard styling to bring the message across in a light-hearted tone
Popular landmarks are mocked to make them seemingly less attractive so lockdown flouters avoid heading to them
The challenge then sparked a #Don’tvisitScotland campaign, after Martin Crewe, director of Barnardo’s Scotland, encouraged people to submit their Scottish offerings.
He shared a mock poster of the Scottish capital that reads: ‘Edinburgh, it’s not that friendly at the best of times. Stay home.’
He shared another of a town in Mull, captioned: ‘What’s the story in Tobermory? Wouldn’t you like to.. No!’
Twitter user Alan Downie made a poster of the Isle of Skye containing the warning: ‘It’s a lot wetter than you think.’
‘Don’t even think about it’: A poster discouraging people from travelling to Snowdonia was shared by Jeremy Vine on Twitter
Jokes range from harmless to the more risque, with Welsh Twitter users enjoying the opportunity to mock some areas of the country
‘It’s not for you’: People on social media have reacted positively to the campaign with some suggesting it could be used to raise money for charity
Textile artist Roslyn Mitchell also added to the fun, warning potential tourists off Largs, North Ayrshire.
She took a stylised scene of the seaside town and wrote: ‘You’ll be attacked by seagulls. Don’t risk it’ in large letters above it.
Civil servant Robbie Cross used the style of an old Scottish Motor Transport bus advert to get his message of ‘Scotland: Dinnae bother’ across to potential visitors.
And actress Kirsty Miller, from Glasgow, produced an image of Edinburgh emblazoned with: ‘You’ll have had your tea. Stay Home.’
Textile artist Roslyn Mitchell warns people not to visit Largs in Ayrshire, Scotland, because of the threat of seagull attacks
‘Stay home’: Kirsty Miller, from Glasgow, produced an image of Edinburgh pleading with Britons to stay away
Not the best of times: Martin Crewe, director of Barnardo’s Scotland, shared a similar poster earlier in the day
‘NO!’: He also shared an image of Tobermory that plays on the theme song of popular children’s TV show Balamory, which is set in Scotland
The campaign has gone down well with social media users, with many suggesting they should be sold to raise money for charity.
Lesley Smith said: ‘This is perfect.’
Karen Davidson added: ‘These are just brilliant! I hope they’ll be on sale soon!’
And Nicola Livingston wrote: ‘Loving the creativity from people, some real laugh out loud contributions!’
The campaign follows reports of people driving to natural beauty spots in order to exercise.
Their behaviour has sparked outrage among some locals and led to Derbyshire Police using a drone to catch and ‘shame’ people from who had driven in.