There has been no shortage of silly season surveys over the past few weeks, but one in particular caught my eye.
According to a Holiday Hypermarket study, 77 per cent of British holidaymakers believe it is “unhealthy” not to get away at least once a year – and they feel the urge to repeat the process just 56 days after they return.
If ever there was a sales and marketing gift, surely this is it! Wave a fond farewell to your paying punters at check-out, and make a note of the date – just eight weeks’ later, they’ll be desperate to get away again.
Drop a timely line to your summer holidaymakers and, if Holiday Hypermarket’s findings are to be believed, you stand a very good chance of bolstering your shoulder season business.
One other thought – research by insurance company Zurich suggests that one in seven small business owners don’t take holidays because they’re worried about losing trade.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has 200,000 members. Even if only ten per cent fall into Zurich’s “stay at home” category, that’s still a target market of 20,000. And if ten per cent of those can be persuaded to take a two-night break in Bournemouth, that’s 4,000 extra room-nights.
Well worth thinking about, I’d say.