The Olympics Effect
No London Exodus
Later Holiday Bookings
No Staycation Summer
Overseas Visitors Want Sports Plus
Brits Drop Hotels in Ticket/Accommodation Packages
London July 24, 2012: Holidays lettings company CLC Leisure, which owns resorts in the UK, Europe and USA, has carried out an analysis of direct and travel agent bookings and enquiries from the UK and overseas to establish the impact of the 2012 Olympics. Said CLC Director Laurence Hicks, “Obviously it’s a massive event and likely to have significant impact on holiday booking patterns. We have been looking at how that will affect our business.”
No Olympics Exodus
Despite dire warnings about price hikes, crowds and transport chaos it seems that there will be no great exodus of people trying to escape the Games. Said Hicks, “Even if they don’t have tickets and are not sports fans, like the Jubilee, many people are planning to watch the Olympics on TV.” Recent research from BA confirms that there is a great deal of enthusiasm for the 2012 Olympics. “The British public want to be part of the Games and are planning their summer accordingly. Believe it or not there seems to be great deals of pride and enthusiasm for the 2012 Games and people want to be part of it.”
Late Bookings Boom
CLC’s research however shows a huge demand for bookings immediately post Olympics and for what remains of the summer holidays. Laurence continued, “There is a definite spike for the second half of August/early September and people can expect fewer of the traditional end of summer discounts.”
No Staycation Summer – Better Weather and Deals Abroad
Contrary to some predictions 2012 is not going to be the great staycation summer says Hicks. “It’s not going to happen. Prices for holidays in popular sunshine destinations like Spain and Turkey are just too good. The main motivation for a staycation is budgetary and holidaymakers can get a far better deal abroad this summer even factoring in the return airfare. And if that’s not enough incentive travellers have told us that this year’s lousy weather tips the balance.”
Brits Drop Hotels in Ticket/Accommodation Packages
CLC Leisure says that a lot of Brits who have purchased Olympic ticket and hotel packages are trying to offload the hotel portion. Said Hicks, “Desperate to get tickets to events of their choice people have paid over the odds for a ticket and hotel package even if they live right next to the event venue. In fact many of the hotels in these packages are inconveniently located miles away from the main venues. I know that a secondary market has started for these hotel rooms but it is difficult to transfer them and I expect that there will be many no shows.”
Overseas Visitors Want Sports Plus
Meanwhile foreign visitors coming here to watch the Games want more. Hicks said, “A lot of the enquiries we are getting for our resorts in Cornwall and Scotland are from overseas visitors who have tickets to the Games but want see a bit of the countryside before or after their events. They are not just going to turn around and go home. Most seem to want to extend their stay between three and seven days.”
Ian Rumgay/Jane Owen
CLC Leisure PR
jane@saxondene.com; 01732-760451, 07747036050
CLC Leisure is the rentals division of CLC World, an international travel and leisure organisation founded in 1984. CLC Leisure has access to 11 of CLC World’s 28 mixed-use resorts worldwide - in England, Scotland, Austria, mainland Spain, Tenerife, Turkey and the USA. CLC World manages 250,000 holidays per annum.
www.clcleisure.com www.clcholidays.com 0800 009 6020
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