Tourism chiefs in Keswick have reported a surge in people booking breaks as the 2022 season gets off to a flying start.
Keswick Tourism Association (KTA) operates a dedicated commission-free booking platform to reserve holidays in 2022 – which means local providers do not have to shell out hefty commission rates charged by nationally-known websites.
Vanessa Metcalfe, tourism manager for the Keswick Tourism Association, said: “The first week in January has seen bookings not just back to pre-pandemic levels but more than two- and-a-half times greater than the level experienced in January 2020 (before the pandemic).”
The figures, which she called encouraging for the new season ahead, also follow what KTA said was a “very busy festive period”.
In December 2021, bookings via the KTA website were 28 per cent up compared to December 2019. That came despite many in the sector concerned about a potential lockdown because of Omicron.
Ms Metcalfe added: “Despite facing staffing and supply chain challenges, many of our members have reported a very busy Christmas and New Year and such strong forward bookings suggest 2022 is off to a good start.”
The KTA website, visitkeswick.com, where visitors can research things to do and places to stay, is also seeing large increases in traffic with page views more than double the same period two years ago.
More than 17,000 people used the site in December alone, KTA said.
The Keswick Tourism Association aims to promote Keswick, help businesses be more successful and reduce the negative impact of visitor numbers.
