More eyes on Guernsey after a Visit Guernsey push for August

Tuesday 29 October 2024

People booking their holidays later has led to nervousness in the tourist industry and a response from the island’s promotional agency.

VisitGuernsey launched four reactive digital marketing campaigns which helped a recovery in the August figures.

It was reported recently that August occupancy levels sit at 84%, 9% ahead of the month last year, and ahead of numbers before the pandemic. 

There had been occupancy concerns raised by hospitality businesses and Visit Guernsey say this was due to shifts in booking patterns. The 2023 Annual Report by Visit Guernsey states that the majority (41%) book within one to three months of their holiday. Just 14% book at six months or over, while 5% are happy to leave it up to a week before their trip. 

Pictured: Visitors to Guernsey are staying for longer too, pre-covid the stay was an average of 4.4 nights, now up to 4.8. 

Zoe Gosling, the Lead Marketing Officer for the States of Guernsey said: “Short booking patterns have been causing some nervousness within the tourism sector, something that has been the case since pre-Covid. Strategically, we have moved to more of a digital-led marketing campaign which means we can be more agile and reactive when areas of concern are flagged to us. 

“In this case, we responded to August concerns with targeted campaigns, raising awareness of the islands to different visitor groups, with positive results. While we are seeing visitors book later, they are staying for longer compared to pre-Covid which is great news.”

Four campaigns were launched to try and make the most of August, and ease fears among businesses that a quiet summer might have been in store. They were the “Last minute break campaign”, the “Heatwave campaign”, the “Family getaways campaign”, and the “Jersey campaign”. 

Hannah Beacom, the Chair of the Tourism Management Board, said: “It’s encouraging to see things are looking more positive, we are definitely seeing staying visitors back in numbers and the feedback from those who are here is very encouraging. The summer has not been without its challenges so it’s reassuring to see such buoyant occupancy through August. 

“Forward bookings for that month weren't looking great and VisitGuernsey were very proactive in their response, promoting the island, and specifically August itself, to try and encourage people over. These campaigns led to a flurry of late bookings which we were delighted to see.”

In 2019 there were 5,055 beds open to to visitors, that’s dropped to a total of 5,011, although it’s actually sat a little lower at the moment, down to 4,801 due to ongoing refurbishmentworks at Le Grande Mare and Bella Luce Hotels.