Holiday let bookings at record levels

Demand for holiday lets in Lancashire has reached record levels, with 53 per cent more bookings in 2022 than in 2019.

The data, published by Sykes Holiday Cottages, includes analysis of booking figures for its 20,000 properties across the UK, with Carnforth, Clitheroe, Blackpool, and Lytham proving to be Lancashire’s most popular travel spots.

The figures show the red rose county outperforming the wider North West, which saw an increase in bookings of 44 per cent over the same period.

Analysis of data for 2021, conducted by Oxford Economics on behalf of Sykes Holiday Cottages and The Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA), found that the amount of money spent by those visiting short-term holiday lets in the North West reached a record £1.5bn for the year, with tourists typically spending a total of more than 7.3 million nights in short-term accommodation across the region each year.

Graham Donoghue, chief executive of Sykes Holiday Cottages, said: "With the popularity of staycations not expected to subside anytime soon, there’s every reason to believe that the positive economic impact of short-term lets within Lancashire will remain equally strong in the years to come.

"Our recent report with Oxford Economics is the most in-depth study that’s ever been conducted on the impact of the sector and really demonstrates the importance of short-term lets to regional economies across the country – with record bookings in 2022 likely to have made this even more so the case last year.

“The industry supports local jobs and pours in millions of pounds of guest spend annually, with visitors opting to eat at local independent pubs and restaurants, explore little-known tourist attractions, and spend their money on holiday souvenirs."