TSE Member s How s Business? Survey results

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1 TSE Member s How s Business? Survey results Thank you to the 107 TSE member businesses who kindly took part in the recent online survey. The results are based on the responses of 14 hotels, 27 B&Bs/ guest houses, 14 non serviced providers, 42 visitor attractions and 10 other tourism businesses. 26% of businesses were located in a large town/ city, 1 in a small town, 55% in rural locations and in a coastal/ seaside location. 1. How would you describe your business performance (visitor/ guest/ customer numbers) over the period Easter to mid June 2014 compared with the same period last year? As shown below, the majority of member businesses reported that business had been either better or about the same as this time last year. Hotels and visitor attractions were most likely to report increased levels of business over this period 1. Figure 1: Business performance Easter to mid June 2014 by business type 10 26% 8 26% 5 33% 19% Hotels B&B/ guest Non-serviced % 1 Visitor attractions Other All businesses Figure 2: Business performance Easter to mid June 2014 by location type 10 25% % 39% 34% 25% 43% 3 5% 6% 1 Large town/ city Small town Countryside/ Seaside All businesses Factors positively affecting performance included the weather, events, and increased publicity. 1 = up by more than 1, = up by 3-1, = up/down by no more than, = down by 3-1, = down by more than 1.

2 2. Focusing specifically on the summer holiday period, would you say that your advance bookings for July and August 2014 are looking better, worse or about the same as this time last year? At the time of the survey (late June), around half of all member businesses reported that advance bookings for the summer holiday period were about the same as this time last year. Around a third reported advance bookings were better or much better while around a fifth felt that bookings were down. Figure 3: Advance bookings for July & August 2014 by business type % 36% % Hotels B&B/ guest Non-serviced Visitor attractions Other All businesses As shown in Figure 4 below, member businesses in large town/ city and countryside/ locations were most likely to report that advance bookings for the summer were up compared with last year, while more than half of those in seaside locations reported that advance bookings for the summer were down compared with last year. Figure 4: Advance bookings for July & August 2014 by location type % 5 5 4% 6% Large town/ city Small town Countryside/ Seaside All businesses Reasons for the increase or decrease in advance bookings for the summer were varied. General insights offered by member businesses indicate that customers are leaving booking later not wanting to commit until certain of the weather or possibly waiting to see if prices come down.

3 3. Compared with this time last year, would you say that your advance bookings for September onwards are better, worse or about the same? Overall, most member businesses felt that advance bookings for September onwards were about the same as last year. Around a quarter felt that advance bookings were better or much better than this time last year, while around a fifth felt that advance bookings were worse. Figure 5: Advance bookings for September onwards by business type % 6 5% % 11% 5% 1 6% Hotels B&B/ guest Non-serviced Visitor attractions Other All businesses As shown, businesses in small town and rural/ countryside locations were most likely to indicate that advance bookings for September onwards are worse than this time last year. Businesses in large town/ city locations and seaside locations were most likely to report that advance bookings are about the same. Figure 6: Advance bookings for September onwards by location type 10 4% 5% 1 31% 8 75% 4% 46% 4 Large town/ city Small town Countryside/ 86% 5 19% 6% Seaside All businesses

4 Member insights into consumer trends Although summer bookings are on a par with last year we have been able to leverage much higher room rates Appears to be more pre-booked and prepaid to get those offers We have definitely seen an uptake in corporate clients spending more money on away days, team building activities and looking for external events. More clients are taken more time out of their busy schedule to fit in away days, and the uniqueness of the event seems to work in our favour. People seem to be waiting later this year to commit to placing deposits to confirm bookings; we have attracted less group travel this year A trend this year for last minute bookings and especially for one night at weekends for that special celebration. We are keeping our prices at top end of b & b and not discounting which enables us to maintain our high standards. More people seem to be going abroad this year, less long weekends. This year advance bookings for the whole season have been excellent and gaps have been filled by late bookers online. Even though our prices have increased quite sharply it has not put people off, in fact rather the reverse. No changes, but customers have more money to spend Room prices are still very important and people are looking for value for money. More visitors from Australia and New Zealand than usual, most taking a cruise before or after staying. There are concerns that London and UK is now through the halo effect of the Olympics Jubilee etc. Exchange rates are beginning to tighten and generally some of our European competitors are claiming back some of the visitors Weekend stays up. Longer stays reduced People tend to wait to see what the weather is like & book more last min. Good season so far! Our pattern of booking is becoming a 6-8 week window before date of arrival, not many advance bookings for leisure breaks or conferences. We have worked on an old set rack rack and are introducing a variable rate plan to work with this new consumer trend. Maybe expectations have risen - we cannot provide dishwashers due to lack of kitchen space, don't have open fires/log burners in our cottages and don't have en suites, so perhaps we are failing to attract new customers on that front. We are about to launch a new website, which we hope will help attract new customers. Customers seem to be very price conscious. Short stays 1-2 days popular; late booking ie same week; fewer o/seas visitors e.g. Germany, Holland; fewer 'grey' market visitors doing our properties, or if staying, just staying for 1 night. Bookings for major events are getting better, and there are fewer customers out for the evening or weekend breaks. Customers are more conscious of what they are eating these days i.e. they eat less and less cereals, don't use sauces at breakfast and use the complimentary tea tray a lot less than say 5-6 years ago. Have kept prices the same for the last tow or three years. Quite a lot of last minute bookings, more cancellations than usual. Otherwise an excellent summer. Just a very quiet September onwards at the moment. Move to later bookings. Groups often reducing numbers compared to original booking. Last minute dot com when it comes to making advance bookings, people clearly not willing to commit so early. Profile of visitor is fairly consistent. A lot of enquiries not confirming from enquiry from our website when we ask for deposit. Seems to be a scattergun enquiry pattern and who answers first with cheap quote... May be this is from lack of available information from some businesses??? Business on the books in advance from groups is looking to be the same as Transient bookings seem to be increasingly last minute and very hard to predict. Our reports show that June was particularly buoyant for Winchester and that the trend is expected to continue for July and August. The large companies in the surrounding areas seem to be very price sensitive whilst many of the leisure guests seem less price sensitive and many stay at the hotel for more than 1 or 2 nights. We have seen a change in our audience...we used to get a high % of adults and now we are seeing a

5 steady increase in grandparents bringing their grand children. This means our child audience is growing. Bookings are still last minute and to a much larger extent than previously, are deal driven. The number of our leaflets that are being distributed is down this year - I have heard a similar story from other attractions. Customer goes on price more and more therefore putting pressure on returns Despite emerging from a recession I would say that many visitors are still price sensitive and are always keen to track down an offer. We are finding more customers asking for price deals on meeting room hire than has previously been the case. It's really tough to win new business in a saturated marketplace. Day visitor market is very quiet unless its a special event. We have kept prices the same for a few years now and think that works and Worthing had money for few training on computers etc which was very helpful. It is still price sensitive, people still ask for a deal, however if you say no they usually book anyway More last minute bookings from UK residents than And more European visitors from Holland, Belgium and France attracted by Rye and gardens in East Sussex. More bookings followed by cancellation a week or so later We also have self-catering and this seems to get booked earlier with us now more or less fully booked until mid October. This has been the case since the end of May. We are still getting the majority of our bookings through intermediaries such as Expedia and Booking.com and we are trying to find ways of getting more traffic through our own website. This year we have had two enquiries that we know about through the Visit Hampshire This year I have had many enquiries for corporate events and most enquiries have turned into bookings Customers are becoming more price conscious and like to think they can barter. Also take information and help from us about pictures and then look them up on line. We believe the number of family visitors are down in June because of the penalties parents have to pay if they take their children out of school. Getting more bookings for next year than usual, but more last minute bookings this year. Booking last minute. Trend for busy weekends and quiet mid-week. Decrease in European guests but increase in domestic. Increase in repeat customers. Our customers who booked whole weeks self-catering, and booked the same weeks year after year, are beginning to get too elderly to travel, and we are hoping to attract new customers. Still wondering whether to go down the Facebook/TripAdvisor route - but looking at other self catering sites. People are booking later. Thank you to all our members who participated in the survey and shared their insights with us, also to all those who offered suggestions about how we at TSE can improve our marketing and support for members.