03.
Occupancy Performance

03.

Occupancy Performance

2021 Occupancy Performance as a % of 2019

Winners

01. Gloucester

❮

  • Strategically located close to Staycation hotspots such as the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean, also acting as a base for exploring these destinations.
  • A cathedral city offering a range of visitor attractions such as Gloucester Cathedral, the Museum of Gloucester, Gloucester Docks, as well as a variety of green spaces.

02. Norwich

❮

  • Popular city break destination for domestic travellers with a range of attractions such as Norwich Cathedral and Norwich Castle. It is also designated as UNESCO’s City of Literature.
  • Benefitting as a strong domestic leisure and business destination, Norwich is also a key centre of employment for the wider region.

03. Bournemouth

❮

  • Popular seaside destination enjoying large volumes of domestic leisure travel (90%).
  • Strong demand in 2021 due to increased interests in Staycations, with Bournemouth acting as a good alternative to international beach destinations.

04. Plymouth

❮

  • A traditionally strong domestic tourism market (86%), renowned as a coastal destination and Britain’s Ocean City.
  • Benefitted from the Staycation boom due to its wide range of leisure attractions such as the Royal Theatre and the National Marine Aquarium, as well as its location along the coastline.

05. Exeter

❮

  • Large domestic travel base (82%) and attracts a significant amount of tourism through its historical sites such as Exeter Cathedral, Royal Albert Memorial Museum and the Exeter Quay.
  • A popular Staycation market for UK travellers in 2021.

Losers

25. London

❮

  • Strong reliance on overseas tourism (particularly the US market), as well as international corporate and MICE demand. ​
  • Key demand generators (such as event venues) were closed and restricted.

24. Glasgow

❮

  • A leading conference destination (home to the SEC Centre) with a significant reliance on MICE demand.
  • Enhanced Covid-19 restrictions in comparison to the rest of the UK.
  • Some reliance on international and business visitation.

23. Birmingham

❮

  • Traditionally relies on business travel, which was negatively affected by the pandemic.
  • Domestic leisure visitation accounts for a low proportion of overall demand.

22. Manchester

❮

  • Event driven market, home to a range of venues (Old Trafford Football Stadium, Etihad Stadium, Manchester Arena etc).
  • Major corporate destination and one of the largest regional corporate finance and stockbroking centres in England.

21. Edinburgh

❮

  • Over 40% of visitation is from the overseas market.
  • The world’s leading festival city, with a significant portion of demand generated from events; a sector which was majorly impacted during the pandemic.
  • Enhanced Covid-19 restrictions in comparison to the rest of the UK.

Source: STR, a CoStar Group Company
REPUBLICATION OR OTHER RE-USE OF THIS DATA WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF STR IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED