Accommodation survey highlights drastic slump from coronavirus

THE ‘catastrophic’ impact of the pandemic and Covid lockdowns on the accommodation sector in Wales last year has been laid bare - with all areas ‘suffering’.

Visit Wales has produced its ‘Accommodation Occupancy Survey Annual Report’ for 2020 which highlights the slump in the industry last year.

It found hotels and hostels were worst hit - although fared better than those in England despite longer periods in lockdown.

Key stats:

■ Room occupancy was 45% in 2020, whereas in 2019 it was 66% - a 32% drop. It ranged from 50% in North Wales to 42% in Mid-Wales.

■ For Guesthouses / B&Bs room occupancy was 36% but sample sizes were small so no comparison is given on 2019.

■ Occupancy levels in the self-catering sector recovered well when restrictions were lifted in early July. Unit occupancy was 52% overall (57% in 2019) and 74% between May and October - actually an increase on 2019 for that period. In North Wales it was 54% over the year, down from 64% in 2019.

■ For Static Caravan and Holiday Homes – average unit occupancy for the reporting period (May to October) was 89%, just 1% down on 2019. Touring Caravan and Camping Occupancy was 32% - down from 42% the previous year.

■ Hostels and Bunkhouses were worst hit at 25% occupancy compared with 54% in 2019.

North Wales Tourism chief executive Jim Jones said: “The stop-start approach to opening and closing made it extremely difficult for any business let alone the accommodation sector to fully reopen especially whilst COVID restrictions were still in place.

“Since the most recent lifting of restrictions, we have seen all accommodation become very busy, with some businesses reporting that during July and August they were 20% up on 2019 bookings. However, the pandemic hasn’t gone away just yet and there some very challenging times ahead for many businesses.”