Multi award-winning Cofton Holidays, near Dawlish Warren, has experienced an incredible surge in online bookings as Britons rush to book their staycations now that details of the Covid-19 roadmap have been revealed.
After Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that self-catering accommodation is targeted to open from 12th April 2021 in England, Cofton Holidays has been inundated with booking enquiries.
Comparing Cofton’s website activity on Monday 22nd February 2021 with Sunday 21st February 2021, the family-run holiday park reported a staggering 182% increase in online transactions. Revenue also increased by 136% with the bulk of online activity happening at 6:00pm on Monday 22nd February, just hours after the Prime Minister made his announcement to the House of Commons.
The surge in bookings had been anticipated by Cofton, which spotted the early signs of holidaymaker’s rushing to book their staycation ahead of Boris Johnson’s official announcement. Comparing figures from 15th to 21st February 2021 to those from the same period in 2020, revenue was already up by an impressive 78%.
Self-catering accommodation at Cofton Holidays is now selling out fast, but the biggest surge has come from guests with caravans or RVs. Demand for hard standing Super Pitches at the Devon holiday park has sky-rocketed with revenue from bookings comparing Sunday to Monday up 619%, while demand for hard-standing 8m pitches has ballooned by 563%.
Expecting the rush, the team at Cofton Holidays prepared for a leap in demand, but not to levels they’ve seen.
Helen Scott, Director at Cofton Holidays commented: “After the Prime Minister began to reveal the details of the Covid-19 roadmap in the House of Commons yesterday, we quickly became inundated with bookings and enquiries. Our website traffic trebled compared with the same time the day before, and the phones started ringing off the hook.
“It’s fantastic to receive such a high volume of bookings now that people feel confident enough to book a staycation. Our self-catering accommodation is booking up fast with our luxury lodges pretty much fully booked and just the odd dates available for other accommodation throughout the peak summer season. That’s leading to growing interest in our off-peak accommodation for those that don’t have to go away during the school holidays.
“It’s a huge relief that the travel and tourism industry finally has a date to work towards. The pandemic has been devastating for the hospitality industry, particularly across the South West, which is one of the country’s most popular staycation destinations.
“At Cofton, we are now working towards reopening on 12th April 2021, and we’re putting all necessary health and safety measures into place so that our visitors can be confident that they can enjoy their holiday without concern.
“In line with Government rules, we will be checking that there is just one household per booking as our priority is to keep both our guests and our local community safe. We will also continue with our Coronavirus Customer Promise, which means that if guests have to cancel their holiday or are unable to travel due to the Coronavirus, we will allow their booking to be moved to a later date or offer a full refund.”
Looking forward to what guests can expect on their visit to Cofton Holidays, Helen Scott added: “During lockdown we’ve enhanced our beautiful landscape, rewilding large swathes of the park, introducing new shrubbery, creating wildlife corridors and enhancing biodiversity across the site for insects, birds, bats, butterflies, bees and small mammals. We’ve also installed 16 new electric car charging points for guests and visitors; all part of our commitment to creating a better environment for all. We can’t wait to show off the new additions and look forward to welcoming back our lovely guests in April.”
Cofton Holidays invested £60,000 in 16 car charging points for use by day visitors and guests staying on site. The installation is the latest in a series of sustainable initiatives undertaken by Cofton Holidays, including the installation of 144kw of solar power units on the park’s 12 new luxury lodges, and investment in an electric vehicle for housekeeping. Combined, it brings the total spend on environmentally focused projects at Cofton to over £1/4 million this year alone.
With over 80 acres of exclusive parkland located amongst five stunning lakes, Cofton Holidays offers a variety of year-round accommodation options including luxury lodges with hot tubs, cottages, apartments, holiday homes, and a campsite. Facilities at the park include four dining options, a pub, a heated indoor pool, a fully equipped gym, sauna and steam rooms, a games zone, an entertainment programme for children and adults, an amusement arcade, and outdoor and indoor play areas, including a woodland zip line.
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