'Olympic effect' sparks surge in Weymouth holiday bookings (From Dorset Echo)
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'Olympic effect' sparks surge in Weymouth holiday bookings
6:01pm Monday 28th January 2013 in News
By Joanna Davis
'Olympics effect' sparks surge in Weymouth holiday bookings
'THE Olympic effect' has sparked a 26 per cent rise in holiday bookings to Weymouth.
Holiday lettings agency Holiday Cottages suggests that the year-on-year increase is down to Weymouth hosting the sailing events of last summer's Games, coupled with Visit Britain's campaign aimed at encouraging more Brits to take a holiday at home this year.
The increased interest in Weymouth has seen it rocket to the fourth most searched destination in the South West, with a year-on-year increase of online searches of more than 500 per cent.
The South West in particular has witnessed a significant boost in domestic holidays, with passenger numbers through Bristol Airport rising for the third consecutive year, making it the only airport in the UK’s top ten to see growth each year since 2009.
Bookings to Bath have risen by 22 per cent, followed closely by Looe and Polperro in Cornnwall - witnessing a boost in bookings of 18 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
Woolacombe in North Devon has seen a 13 per cent increase in bookings compared to the same time last year and in South Devon, Torquay has seen a similar increase of 10 per cent.
In the top 10 of most searched destinations, Bath took the top spot with an increase in searches of 330 per cent followed by Padstow and Bude. Newquay was in fifth position.
James Morris, managing director at Holiday Cottages said: “The UK has so many beautiful destinations to offer holidaymakers and this year’s rise in bookings is no doubt a welcome relief to many holiday towns and villages that rely on a thriving tourism trade.
"2013 is set to be a bumper year for domestic holidays, following the success of the Olympic Games and Queen’s Jubilee, so it’s great to see these events will have a lasting impact on British tourism.”
Comments(32)
rodwell-t-rail
says...
6:43pm Mon 28 Jan 13
why does an increase in searches of 500% only translate to a 26% of bookings.
rodwell-t-rail
says...
6:47pm Mon 28 Jan 13
rodwell-t-rail
says...
6:54pm Mon 28 Jan 13
rodwell-t-rail
says...
6:57pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Get a grip
says...
7:21pm Mon 28 Jan 13
They did this last year.
JamesYoung
says...
8:08pm Mon 28 Jan 13
rodwell-t-rail wrote:Indeed. If bookings were down by 20% +/- last year, then they would have to rise by 26% +/- to get back to normal levels.
I assume that that is an increase of 26% in bookings above last years bookings. I wonder what percentage the last few years bookings were down because of the Olympic effect and the road works
And i think, anecdotally, that is exactly what has happened.
Given that all other south coast resorts have seen increased interest, i would suggest that the only Olympic effect is that Weymouth is up on last year because of two factors : (i) fewer people came last year because of the Olympics and thus the statistic is skewed and (2) for whatever reason, people are booking more holidays this year. Increased confidence in the economy, or the cost of overseas holidays rising?
JamesYoung
says...
8:09pm Mon 28 Jan 13
http://www.telegraph
.co.uk/travel/travel
news/9440832/Olympic
s-tourism-down-at-We
ymouth-and-Portland.
html
TenBobDylanThomasHardy
says...
8:25pm Mon 28 Jan 13
bigrand
says...
8:35pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Harpya Orkinus
says...
8:37pm Mon 28 Jan 13
I'mavoter
says...
8:54pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Get a grip wrote:Don't generalise. Some did, but many didn't ! Your comment is grossly unfair to those that didn't ! Maybe you should have checked all your facts before making such a sweeping accusation.
Now watch the boarding house keepers double their fees, then complain that holiday makers are not turning up.
They did this last year.
Get a grip
says...
9:04pm Mon 28 Jan 13
I'mavoter wrote:The quality of most boarding houses in Weymouth is very low.
Get a grip wrote:Don't generalise. Some did, but many didn't ! Your comment is grossly unfair to those that didn't ! Maybe you should have checked all your facts before making such a sweeping accusation.
Now watch the boarding house keepers double their fees, then complain that holiday makers are not turning up.
They did this last year.
Most should not call themselves Hotels.
JamesYoung
says...
9:12pm Mon 28 Jan 13
TenBobDylanThomasHarI think you are missing the point.
dy wrote:
REJOICE YOU CYNICAL Ba£4%rds! No wonder no-one wants to come, the toen is full of miseries.
The article is factually incorrect.
Thus, there is nothing to rejoice about.
It is, after all, a bit late to celebrate that the Olympics are over.
Phaedrus
says...
7:38am Tue 29 Jan 13
Some regular visitors are returning, some people will be coming to Weymouth for the first time. Weymouth needs a fair share of these visitors to return in the future. Will the new road with inadequate signage at the Jurassic roundabout and three laser projectors persuade them to return?
Our council - who are partly responsible for low accommodation standards because they own a lot of the guest houses and the rents are high while historical investment is low - seriously need to get a grip. I somehow doubt people come to Weymouth for the Pavilion but entertainment in one form or another is important. Wake up Goodman and Bruce!
rjimmer
says...
11:05am Tue 29 Jan 13
monkeydog
says...
1:43pm Tue 29 Jan 13
niceonecyril
says...
2:30pm Tue 29 Jan 13
rodwell-t-rail
says...
3:44pm Tue 29 Jan 13
niceonecyril wrote:well done weymouth, a brilliant Olympic year!. I wonder if this person was actually around at the time. Organised events areas closed down leaving visitors and stall holders in the c&*p. Beach areas that had sold few tickets to events being made free for all with no returns of funds for those that had paid. road signs and radio reports advising people to stay away then having to u-turn. Railway networks telling people not to use the railway because they couldn't cope. Well done weymouth. And now the idiots in charge are considering closing the seafront again or having the torch event of people carrying them into the sea. How much did that cost during the Olympics? just goes to show what a waste of money that was if the council can now put a repeat on for nothing. why don't they save the money and actually spend it on the things that need doing around weymouth. How long will the wall behind the council offices on chapelhay street have to wait to be repaired? WELL DONE WEYMOUTH. You're having a giraffe.
Well done Weymouth, a brilliant Olympic year and now the benefits. Those who are saying the report is not factual, then produce facts that prove your lame comments. I am not from Weymouth, and yet I support the town more than these so called locals ever could, yet another thing you can be ashamed of.
monkeydog
says...
4:53pm Tue 29 Jan 13
niceonecyril wrote:You must have excellent eyesight. I live in Weymouth and have a business here but can see little of the benefits you refer to. The report is merely positive spin, made in an effort to reverse the effects of a disastrous year most businesses in Weymouth suffered last year.
Well done Weymouth, a brilliant Olympic year and now the benefits. Those who are saying the report is not factual, then produce facts that prove your lame comments. I am not from Weymouth, and yet I support the town more than these so called locals ever could, yet another thing you can be ashamed of.
monkeydog
says...
5:02pm Tue 29 Jan 13
Get a grip wrote:You need to correct your terminology. A boarding house is one where rooms are let to lodgers, usually for short periods. You obviously mean guesthouses or b&b's so for your information most did not raise their prices, though another poster is correct in saying a few did. Also, the quality of most guesthouses in Weymouth is actually quite high. There are some that are poor but you will find the same anywhere. I doubt you have any understanding of the b&b business. Most individual owners do not make much more than the average annual salary, if that, but for the money they receive they offer very good accommodation on the whole and without them Weymouth would be in a worse mess than it's in now.
Now watch the boarding house keepers double their fees, then complain that holiday makers are not turning up.
They did this last year.
JamesYoung
says...
10:29pm Tue 29 Jan 13
niceonecyril wrote:The facts are in the report.
Well done Weymouth, a brilliant Olympic year and now the benefits. Those who are saying the report is not factual, then produce facts that prove your lame comments. I am not from Weymouth, and yet I support the town more than these so called locals ever could, yet another thing you can be ashamed of.
Bookings are up 26% on what was a very bad year.
Bath had a 22% rise. Did this town also receive an Olympic boost, despite having no Olympics?
rodwell-t-rail
says...
10:03am Wed 30 Jan 13
rodwell-t-rail
says...
10:15am Wed 30 Jan 13
pigfarmer
says...
1:00pm Wed 30 Jan 13
JACKC
says...
8:11pm Wed 30 Jan 13
portlandresident
says...
7:53pm Thu 31 Jan 13
Grandmaster flash
says...
5:46pm Sat 2 Feb 13
Get a grip
says...
7:48pm Sun 3 Feb 13
monkeydog wrote:My point is that many establishments call their property a "Hotel" but at best they are B & B`s or Guesthouses.
Get a grip wrote:You need to correct your terminology. A boarding house is one where rooms are let to lodgers, usually for short periods. You obviously mean guesthouses or b&b's so for your information most did not raise their prices, though another poster is correct in saying a few did. Also, the quality of most guesthouses in Weymouth is actually quite high. There are some that are poor but you will find the same anywhere. I doubt you have any understanding of the b&b business. Most individual owners do not make much more than the average annual salary, if that, but for the money they receive they offer very good accommodation on the whole and without them Weymouth would be in a worse mess than it's in now.
Now watch the boarding house keepers double their fees, then complain that holiday makers are not turning up.
They did this last year.
Many so called Hotels advertise accommodation for contractors. Is this not your definition of a Boarding House.
mark@greenhill
says...
6:31am Mon 4 Feb 13
These same people would complain if the town was full of tourists, & the roads were clogged with cars arriving in town.
These same people, wake up every day of their lives, looking for something to complain about.
If only these people were actually doing anything positive towards improving the situation, instead of sitting in their armchair complaining ?
JamesYoung
says...
1:55pm Mon 4 Feb 13
mark@greenhill wrote:My dear chap, perhaps your distaste arises from the fact that those "same negative people" were called similar names prior to the Olympics and, if they'd been heeded, the experience might have been better for all concerned? Hmmm?
The same negative, moaning, depressing comments, from the same negative, moaning, depressing people.
These same people would complain if the town was full of tourists, & the roads were clogged with cars arriving in town.
These same people, wake up every day of their lives, looking for something to complain about.
If only these people were actually doing anything positive towards improving the situation, instead of sitting in their armchair complaining ?
Dylanfan
says...
5:52pm Mon 4 Feb 13
rodwell-t-rail says...
6:38pm Mon 28 Jan 13