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Holiday Cottages Mousehole Cornwall tourism Trends

Holiday Cottages Mousehole Cornwall tourism TrendsWe speak with holiday homeowners and their holiday home letting agents each and every day. This constant contact gives us an understanding of the issues you’re facing on a daily basis, but we also strive to understand the bigger picture; what’s making the industry tick, tourism trends and the opportunities these developments potentially provide you with.

In October we looked at the Great British Tourism Survey in our post Industry trends – What do they mean for holiday home bookings? and what it could mean for you as a holiday homeowner. This month we bring you an analysis from Visit England’s latest tourism trends dashboard along with the latest tourism trends and statistics.

Tourism trends – Occupancy rates are on the up

The great news is that occupancy rates across the country continue to rise.  They’re up again year on year by another 2.3%, making that a five-year rise of 7.4%. This rise is evenly spread throughout the UK with Yorkshire, the North West, South West and East of England all enjoying five percentage point increases in recent years.

Tourism trends – The continuing emergence of the ‘Millennials’

What exactly is a Millenial? It’s the term given to those born between the 1980s and the turn of the century and they represent 15 million UK residents (31% of the adult population).

In terms of tourism they currently account for 28% of total overnight trips made in the UK, spending in the region of £4.4 billion on their way.

Perhaps the most interesting point for holiday homeowners is that their predominant reason for travel is to visit friends and family. This is increasing the number of short breaks and stays under three nights and may be linked to the continued rise in occupancy rates outside of the traditional peak months.

Tourism trends – Staycation vs Overseas Visits

Whilst much publicity is often given to the ‘staycation’ and figures related to those holidaying within the UK, the good news is that we continue to be a popular option for international travellers.

Latest figures show a total of 27 million visits were made from overseas visitors between January and September this year, a 3% increase on the same period in 2014.

The number of people visiting towards the end of summer is also on the up, with more than 3 million visits made in September alone.

Tourism trends – Visitors have more disposable income

Figures show that spending is on the increase with an extra 9% in tourist spend splurged during holidays in England between January and August.

This takes the total spent to a staggering £82 billion with the South West, South East and North West all accounting for visitor spending in excess of £9 billion each.

General feedback from across the industry is that visitor expectations are becoming more and more exacting; the good news for holiday homeowners is that they’re likely to be willing to pay for the quality that meets those expectations.

Positive outlook for next year

The majority are feeling more positive about their finances following the turbulent economic conditions of recent years and will now be looking at, if not, already booking trips and accommodation for next year.

Latest figures show people are cutting back less on holidays than they were in March 2014 and although the predicted number of short trips taken next year are down, VisitEngland expects a stable market for longer holidays in England.

If you are in the business of holiday letting you’ll want to ensure that your holiday home properties are adequately insured. For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

For more information on how our specialist holiday home insurance could help cover your property please give our friendly team a call on 01237 429444. 

English Tourism Week

English Tourism Week

English Tourism Week (ETW) is coming! If you’re not already familiar with the concept, you may well be soon!  Celebrating its 5th birthday next March, ETW is a weeklong celebration of events showcasing the quality and vibrancy of holiday cottages and other tourism businesses across the country.

Here’s everything you need to know…

What is English Tourism Week?

With English tourism contributing £106bn to the economy each year and supporting more than 2.6 million jobs, English Tourism Week was initiated by Visit England five years’ ago to showcase the quality of British tourism and the value it brings to the nation. As a result a weeklong celebration of events is held each year.

When are the celebrations?

The week of events start on March 5, 2016 and runs until March 13; giving you plenty of time in which to prepare!

How can you get involved?

There are plenty of ways you can get involved in English Tourism Week; according to Visit England there are actually 101! The emphasis is very much on coming together with businesses of all types within the industry to celebrate.  Here’s the full list of suggestions….

What’s in it for you?

There are a number of ways in which you could potentially extend your promotional reach and cash in…

  1. Use local events to attract potential guests – the idea is that businesses of all types come together for their visitors; if there are events in your local area get involved and promote them to potential bookers!
  2. Entice your guests with something extra – many of the suggestions from Visit England cover giving your guests a little bit extra; maybe a cream tea or hamper made from local product. It needn’t cost the earth, but can act as that little something extra to get you the booking.
  3. Social media – With many businesses now taking part in ETW it’s a fantastic opportunity to extend your social media reach. Watch out for the hashtags before, during and after; they’ll give you the chance to gain new followers and connections.
  4. Press Attention – consider sending out a press release highlighting your involvement; the coverage will increase local awareness of your holiday home and also, if featured online, help you get a boost in search engines!

English Tourism Week Toolkit

VisitEngland has created a special toolkit for English Tourism Week, which is accessible to all holiday cottage owners and holiday home letting agents.

Here you can download free posters, logos and banners to include on your website, emails and newsletters:

When holiday letting your second home to paying guests it’s essential to take advice on suitable insurance. Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to holiday letting owners across the UK. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.