The UK Caravan and Camping Alliance (UKCCA) latest economic benefit report demonstrates the sector’s significant value to the  economy. 

.
Despite the challenges businesses have faced in the past few years, this report found that: 

• holiday parks and campsites generated £12.2bn in visitor expenditure, equating to £7.2bn Gross Value Added (GVA)
  to the UK economy.
• Employment levels are high with the sector supporting
  226,745 full-time jobs across the UK.
• The sector’s expenditure accounts for 5% of the tourism
  sector’s overall GDP of £214bn. 

The report also highlights the value the consumers themselves receive from this type of holiday. 

See more in the full report.

Findings in this report: 

• The Irish hotel sector achieved EBITDAR profits in excess of pre-pandemic levels for two consecutive years.
• The Crowe Ireland Annual Hotel Industry Survey 2023 illustrated that the Irish market was one of fastest to bounce back in Europe in 2022 and that 2023 has built on that momentum.
• Rooms revenue is well ahead with the real driver being average room rate (ARR) which is up €36 for Dublin between 2019 and 2023 and €39 for Regional Ireland over the same four-year period.
• Rooms performance has compensated for significant increases in costs across all business activities.

• 2024 will present huge opportunities, however, there will be challenges around holding margins, planning restrictions hampering new builds and elevated financing costs.

See more in the report. 

• Nearly 6,000 visitors (predominantly international) were interviewed across 34 different visitor attractions (2016 & 2018) to test a range of experience features from amenities and staff, interior layouts, exhibits, information tools to the storytelling and the tour.

See this updated piece of research combining 2016 and 2018 research findings.  

• In the UK, London's first sleep-centric hotel, Zedwell, is set to open in Piccadilly Circus in February 2020.

• It will have over 750 rooms, with innovative soundproofing and “calm-inducing colours and scents”.

• Everything has been designed to reduce anxiety and daily distractions, creating the perfect environment for sleep, relaxation and wellbeing.  Read more about this concept above. 

This research looks at gaining insight into the visitor experience at Ireland’s Visitor Attractions and identifies and ranks what drives satisfaction.

This manual focuses on what you can do to make a measurable
improvement to how visitors experience your heritage site.  It contains advice on good practice illustrated by examples from successful attractions both at home and abroad.  

Highlights include: 

• Making the most of your site by finding the locations and experiences that can create enduring memories 
• Criteria for choosing interpretation media.  

This toolkit was developed to assist existing visitor attractions in Dublin to unlock the great stories they have to offer.  The topics, exercises, and questions are relevant however for all attractions.  Highlights include: 

• Walkthrough exercises for the start, heart and end of the visitor journey
• Measuring the impact of your investment by learning from your visitors

Designed as a resource for people who own, manage and work at Ireland’s heritage sites, this toolkit aims to help you grow your visitor numbers by enhancing the on-site experience and  promoting your site effectively. 

Highlights include:

• nine exercises which bring everything together into 2 action plans - a marketing action plan and one for your       on-site experience.

Debt Warehousing was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic  to assist businesses experiencing cash-flow difficulties with  €3.2bn warehoused at the peak of the Scheme in 2022.  As of June 2024, 93% of this debt was either paid in full or secured under phased payment arrangements (PPAs), in a PPA negotiation or awaiting approval of a refund/credit offset. 

In terms of the Accommodation & Food Sector businesses: 

• 90% of debt owed in January 2024 has now paid in full or is in a agreed payment plan with Revenue. 
• 1,820 businesses with an outstanding balance of €180m are in a phased payment arrangements (PPA).
• 762 businesses with a outstanding debt of just under €13.5m did not engage with Revenue by the May 2024 closing date and this debt has now been escalated to collection and enforcement procedures. 

Scotland has experienced large growth in the number of visitors using a motorhome, campervan, caravan or tent.

To better understand the drivers behind these kinds of visitor,  VisitScotland undertook new research in this market, during the
summer of 2023.   

This report summarises the findings and provides insights on the characteristics of this group of visitors, their level of knowledge and awareness, their behaviour during their trips and activities undertaken and their views on the type of visitor infrastructure available in Scotland to support these kinds of trips.

See more in the full report. 

This report reviews the key changes in employment costs arising from government policies and the impact they will have on tourism and hospitality businesses in 2024.  These include: 

• Changes to the minimum wage 
• Increased public holidays
• Introduction of statutory sick pay
• The rollout of auto-enrolment
• Increase in pay-related social insurance (PRSI)
• Extended parental leave and the proposed remote working legislation.

For more detail see the full report. 

This study provides insights on the evolution of distribution channels used to reserve hotel rooms, focusing on online travel agencies (OTAs). 

Key trends were: 

• The market shares of OTAs have steadily increased in the European hotel sector from 19.7% in 2013 to 29.2% in 2019.  Meanwhile, the share of direct bookings has decreased by over 10-percentage points from 57.6% in 2013 to 47% in 2019.
• Results for 2021 show that hotels' reliance on OTAs remained almost at the same level as 2019 during the pandemic episode, while direct bookings increased
  significantly.
• The share of OTAs in 2021 was 28.8% while direct bookings increased to 55.2% (an 8-percentage point increase over 2019).
• Booking Holding has the biggest share at 71% in the OTA market. 
• Most hoteliers (55%) feel pressured by OTAs to accept  terms and conditions that they would not offer.
• In 2021, Hotel Ads by Google is the meta-search market leader (73%) followed by Tripadvisor (57%) and Trivago
  (44%). 

Sample: 3,900 Hoteliers 

Read more in the report.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic Trip Advisor wanted to know if online reviews still influence traveller decision making.  

In 2021, they conducted an analysis, surveying 9,000 consumers across five countries — U.S., U.K., Italy, Singapore, and Australia to find out. 

A key finding is that: 

• 3 out of 4 said that online reviews are still extremely or very important when making travel decisions.

See more results in the full report. 

• The principle of knowing guests is and has always been, at the core of understanding and delivering an exceptional hotel guest experience.

• However, today's consumers want—and expect—much more from their Hotel stay.

• Hoteliers need to tune into consumer needs to drive loyalty and increase repeat business.

Deloitte's (US) hotel guest experience (GX) report taps into how data-driven strategies can meet new consumer needs. Read more in this article.

A guide to understanding and developing memorable tourism experiences.  For today;s international tourist, holidays are less about 'doing' something and more about feeling that they are truly  immersed in a place or an activity.  

This guide will help you to understand the components that combine to deliver a memorable tourism experience: 

1. Product

2. Service 

3. Story

4. Narration

Read more about how to deliver an immersive tourism experience........

This toolkit was developed to help visitor attractions in Ireland's Ancient East to find their best stories and tell them in the very best way in the best places, by using their people, their site and a range of communication media creatively,  Relevant for all attractions,  highlights include: 

• Creating storytelling interpretation for multi-lingual audiences 
• A simplified planning process to help you develop a preliminary Interpretation Strategy for your tourism project.

This toolkit provides a step-by-step approach to those who own, manage or work within a cultural organisation to deliver an engaging experience to grow  your visitor numbers and revenue.   Highlights include:

• Tips for developing your tourism message 
• Case studies from other cultural organisations
• Working with other cultural and tourism partners