Houst, a UK flexible lettings service, is demanding greater Government clarity about its current strategy for lifting travel restrictions, following an 8% decline in bookings from February 2021 to March 2021 for both domestic and international holiday makers. This significant drop-off suggests diminishing consumer confidence that summer holidays will resume in 2021.
Short-term rental enquiries and bookings were steadily on the rise in early February, when PM Boris Johnson announced Brits would be completely out of lockdown by 21st June. However, despite this announcement, a month later, Houst saw an 8% decline in short term holiday bookings in March 2021, a time when mixed messages from the Government increasingly suggested that summer holiday travel remains under threat.
Tom Jones, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Houst says: “Landlords – whether businesses or private – have had a torrid 12 months. Even as the Government prepares to open up the country again for travel, the messaging leaves much to be desired. At the beginning of the year, we saw a surge in demand as the Government announced its roadmap out of lockdown, but any positivity was squashed when government spokespeople cast doubt on whether holiday makers would be free to travel the country this summer. We’re urging the government to provide a clearer plan of action, with greater certainty, that consumers and our partners can trust.”
The staycation market is important to Houst as the business increasingly expands into rural locations where the company believes short-term property lets are set to grow faster than in urban areas.
