Domestic travel and the concept of the ‘staycation’ has been growing in popularity in the UK. According to Visit Britain the domestic overnight stay sector was worth £24.7 billion in 2019. With overseas travel restrictions very likely to be in place for a considerable length of time and the fact that many people will be reluctant to fly, the industry is united in its opinion that demand for domestic tourism will become more popular than ever.
Earlier this month CEO of snaptrip.com, Matt Fox, revealed that the last-minute UK holiday website saw a 30% increase in searches for domestic holidays in 2021 since the government told people to stay at home. He said ‘We are confident that the British tourism industry will bounce back, and it is looking as though there will be a greater appreciation for the amazing spaces that Britain has to offer and a desire to visit some of the more remote and wild locations within the British Isles once we have put this episode behind us.'
It follows that, pub accommodation is likely to be in high demand. The question is are pubs thinking positively about capturing this market? Research by the UK’s leading promoter of pub accommodation, Stay in a Pub, indicates that many pub website homepages state that they are physically closed but also that they are closed for room bookings which means that customers wanting to plan in advance are unable to book future accommodation.
Paul Nunny founder of Stay in a Pub suggests “Pub owners need to be looking to the future and taking bookings with clear and flexible refund and booking policies. This may include flexibility over changing booking dates, fully refundable vouchers, or guaranteed refunds if money has been taken. Gaining bookings now builds and secures future trade. We all need to use this time to look at our business model and rethink about the future. This is a onetime opportunity to build relationships with potential customers and provide a stand-out customer experience that will not be forgotten. Successful retailers will adopt and take advantage of the potential marketplace”
Stay in a Pub is committed to supporting the pub accommodation sector and is currently offering a 6-month free listing as well as continued advice and marketing support. With a £750K injection of capital last year, a new website with outstanding user experience, valuable content and optimised booking conversion will be launched this summer alongside marketing campaigns focused on brand awareness and generating over a million website visits and well-qualified leads for pubs.
Pub owners and landlords should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request further information on how Stay in a Pub can help and more information can be found at https://www.stayinapub.co.uk/About/GetListed
