Tourism Barometer: autumn wave 2021

Main points

• About two in five operators have had more customers compared to a ‘normal’ autumn (pre-Covid), a similar proportion have had the same, and 27% have had fewer.
• This follows on from a busy summer, when around half reported more visitors than in a normal pre-Covid summer, and 31% reported the same.
• The main reason for a buoyant market is that UK holidaymakers have been booking in Wales instead of abroad
• 28% of businesses in the serviced accommodation, pubs, restaurant and café sectors are currently trying to recruit staff.
• There are two key factors affecting confidence: whether the new Covid variant will bring further lockdowns, and whether UK holidaymakers will staycation again in large numbers or return to holidaying abroad.
• Experience of the past two yearshas prompted a quarter of businesses to make permanent strategic changes.
• Around a quarter of operators making permanent strategic changes have decided to focus their efforts on a particular core product or service rather than trying to do too much.