We’re delighted to announce that we’ve seen an immediate uplift in domestic hotel bookings, across our Irish properties, following The Taoiseach Leo Varadkars’ roadmap announcement on Friday evening.
Following the announcement – and with a renewed certainty around the phased exit-strategy – we saw an immediate surge in direct bookings for July and August with more than a 370% increase in bookings vs the average bookings pace in April. This significant increase clearly indicates that the appetite to travel has not diminished and gives much-needed hope for the Irish tourism recovery.
As is to be expected, family hotels, coastal properties, or those with large garden estates have seen the most growth since the announcement, with self-catering properties and lodges also doing well.
City centre properties have yet to show a similar upward trend in bookings.
Since late February 2020, we’ve been tracking the impact COVID-19 has had on online search across the hospitality industry. Based on search travel intent data, we are encouraging our hotel partners to shift their digital marketing efforts from international markets to their local, domestic market by offering great value, staycation offers to holidaymakers.
Data from the CSO shows that spend on overseas travel from Ireland in 2019 eclipsed inbound visitors spend by over €1 billion! A national effort is needed to support the 325,000+ jobs that depend on tourism in Ireland. We are so lucky to have the Wild Atlantic Way, Irelands Ancient East, Connemara, stunning beaches, beautiful greenways and scenic national parks. We truly are spoilt for choice.
Now more than ever, Irish hoteliers need to focus on providing unique hospitality experiences for the domestic market and be proactive in their digital marketing efforts.
Now is the time to invest in your digital strategy and ensure your hotel is prepared for the recovery.
For more information on travel trend data and search intent, visit https://www.avvio.com/digital-marketing/travel-trends/.
Please note: These trends cover the hotel brand website only.
