After an uncertain June 2023, due to not always favorable weather and the damage caused by the floods in May, the tourist season has now finally entered into full swing. Requests from tourists arrive in large numbers and the receptions are in full swing, struggling to keep up with answering customer emails and phone calls, without forgetting the queue of tourists at the desk waiting for acceptance, check-out and miscellaneous information. But the managers of Italian camping villages are well aware that, at the moment, there are other things they have to take care of besides providing assistance to customers in the structure. It is in fact important to avoid finding yourself in September with an empty campsite and try to remedy by publishing last minute offers, to the detriment of profits. To maximize bookings for September, it is therefore necessary to organize in advance and take into consideration the data relating to the requests received to date. So let’s see some data from the requests of tourists arriving through the CampingVillage.Travel portal network.
In general, stay requests for September are increasing compared to last year, thus following the positive trend of the first part of the year and recording a significant increase of 41% compared to 2022. In particular, they are growing compared to past years requests for pitches (+117% compared to 2022), with more and more campers requesting availability and trying to book in advance in order not to risk being sold out and grab the best places. The graph below shows the increase in the request for pitches for stays in September (compared to requests for stays in accommodation), based on the data collected from 1 January to 25 June this year and last year.
Another very positive trend is represented by the demand for tourists who travel with their pets. It is no longer a question of a small niche of travellers, but of a now significant percentage, which exceeds 21.5% of tourists. In particular, in September, there was a surge in requests for stays with pets (26.56%).
Knowing the market trend is essential for adopting the right marketing actions and using the right levers to attract tourists to your campsite.
What strategies to put in place to best sell the month of September?
Recently, the commercial proposals linked to the experiences in the area are getting a lot of success. These businesses are working well and are helping to increase turnover. Organizing excursions, diving, bike tours, unique experiences, tastings of local products and visits to the wonders offered by small Italian villages are just some of the possibilities to surprise and enchant guests.
In short, it is necessary to look around and observe what each specific territory has to offer. Even what may seem trivial to our eyes, such as an aperitif based on the best typical products of the area, to the gaze of a tourist open to novelties and ready to discover, could turn out to be an irresistible offer! The limits are only in our imagination.
Obviously, the way of presenting one’s offer and one’s advantages is also important. It is necessary to communicate the emotions that the experience brings with it, first of all on social networks and in newsletters. It’s time to share authentic shots, immortalize moments full of value to involve tourists, increasingly accustomed to seeing the usual postcard stock images, with the same offers made up of infinite bulleted lists.
To get to selling September in the best way, we always recommend evaluating, on a case-by-case basis, whether to lower the cancellation policy, based on your own occupancy data. Maintaining very restrictive and penalizing cancellation policies for tourists also for September can represent an own goal for an accommodation facility that does not need to block the stay, given the lower occupancy, and also risks creating discontent in the customer.
To know more
Watch the video by Riccardo Viroli, CEO of CampingVillage.Marketing and A.D. of TITANKA!, where you can find some advice on how to fill September and increase turnover, based on market trend data.
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