The scorching-hot weather some parts of the UK have recently experienced makes the public and agents think about holidays and short breaks in Britain.
The UK has a lot to offer and a hot summer makes people feel they want to be out and about doing things, particularly families with young children. If your part of the country gets lucky with a heatwave this summer, here’s how to make the most of it.
Market the product
Agents need to ensure they’ve got a mixture of UK product in their windows or in their marketing communications. Building in something a bit different is a good idea, for example having details of the best beaches for your catchment area, or the top recommended country pubs. Add a little value through good information.
Ensure you include the UK in all marketing activity and try to identify past customers who have previously booked overseas beach destinations, but have not yet booked for this summer. They may be excellent potential bookers of a last-minute UK break or holiday if the weather is forecast to be nice.
Know your market
For UK holidays, it is important to understand the customer and which product fits their needs. For example, independent travellers may prefer a cottage, the over-55s market may want an escorted coach tour, and families may want activities available at a holiday park.
Time it right
Encourage customers to travel off peak (school term time) to avoid delays, especially if they are heading for rural and coastal locations. For the hotel short-break sector, advise customers to keep travelling time to about two and a half hours if they are away for just two nights, which is the most common booking duration.
Know the product
There is a lot of debate about how much a heatwave benefits UK hotel breaks. Think about how it is likely to influence where customers want to go and what they may want to do, and equip yourself with the right knowledge. For example:
Coastal resorts: for the popular resorts in your catchment area, ensure you know three or four of the best things to do in the resort, especially for children.
Rural locations: for example, the Cotswolds, New Forest, Scottish borders. Pick the areas that will appeal to your geographic catchment and familiarise yourself with the key places of interest, especially those that are pre-bookable and commissionable.
Hotels with indoor pools: particularly for the family market, get to know a couple of hotels within, say, a two-hour drive away, with family rooms, and indoor leisure facilities where the children can cool off. This could also be important for couples.
Active families: learn about the packages available for key outdoor attractions, such as Alton Towers, Legoland, and Chessington World of Adventure.
London: this is a massive destination. A heatwave may influence what customers are likely to do, with increased emphasis on outside activities and attractions. London zoo, open-top bus tours, and river cruises may be in increased demand and are all pre-bookable.
Links
Superbreak.com/agents – check out the section on attraction breaks.
Aboutbritain.co.uk – a useful source for great things to do, planning breaks and forthcoming events.
Ian Mounser is sales director at Superbreak, the UK short-break operator, in York.