Surge in bookings for summer staycations as restrictions likely to lift
Staycations are the most likely holiday options for Irish people this year who may end up sunning themselves on beaches like Inchydoney in Co Cork, above. Picture: Dan Linehan
With growing optimism that the country is on track for an easing of restrictions, and the sun shining this weekend, thoughts are turning to staycations and road trips along the Wild Atlantic Way.
But if you’re a cautious customer who is yet to take a punt on a summer booking, you could have some difficulty in securing a staycation in some of Munster’s tourist hotspots — despite the fact most owners have no idea when they will be allowed re-open their doors.
“You're taking every reservation with the caveat, we don't know when we're open, we might be ringing you to say we can't open yet,” Helen Heaton of Castlewood House in Dingle, Co Kerry, said.
Ms Heaton said the luxury guesthouse has just limited availability for this July, with bookings coming in “hot and fast” for June and August too.
“We're looking at September now, and if we can open, filling up June too,” she said.
Ms Heaton, who is involved in Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance, said she is “optimistic” that it will be a busy summer for the town.
“What happened last year was the minute the [reopening plan] was announced, bang, the phone was crazy. We were full for July and August. I anticipate that will happen again this year.”
Eilís McDermott of Trident Holiday Homes said there was “definitely a surge in bookings” earlier than usual this year.
While “many places” are almost fully-booked out for much of the summer in destinations like Dingle and Kenmare, Ms McDermott said there is still some availability on their site in popular destinations like Kilkee during the peak weeks of July and August.
But if you’re looking to head to west Cork for the summer, you could have some difficulty securing self-catering accommodation at this late date.
In Clonakilty, a receptionist says Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa are almost fully booked out for the summer months, while Natalie Sugrue, reservations manager at Berehaven Lodge in Castletownbere, says there wouldn’t be any availability for a family of four looking to holiday during the summer months at this late stage.
“We were booked up in early January,” she said, “I think a lot of Castletownbere would be the same.
“Anyone I've been talking to was the same anywhere on the west coast, west Cork ... it all filled up very early this year.”
Ms Sugrue said she thinks self-catering is proving particularly popular this year.
“You have your own space, you’re not in a living space with anyone, it’s a bit safer,” she said.
Caravans and mobile homes are also proving popular for this year’s staycationers.
Jane Murphy, manager of Woodlands Caravan & Camping Park in Tralee, Co Kerry, said they are “very, very busy” for the summer months.
“From June 18 to the middle of August we are fully booked for everything; motorhomes, caravans, tents, everything,” Ms Murphy said.
“We are a big park. Any other year, we would never be fully booked at this time of the year.”
But this year, they were fully booked for July and August by February.
“It's never happened before,” she said, adding that in a normal year they’d usually never be fully booked out and would be able to accommodate passing traffic.
Ms Murphy said there was “huge demand” last year and some people were disappointed.
“So they were very on the ball this year. As soon as we said we were taking bookings, we booked up straight away.”
Con Quill, CEO of the Irish Camping and Caravan Council (ICCC) said many sites, particularly coastal sites, are already fully booked from mid-July to mid-August, but there is still availability out there.
“For anyone doing it it's worth shopping around,” he said.
While prices can vary depending on where you pitch up, you’re looking at between €35 and €40 a night for most sites in July and August.
Prices are “pretty similar” to previous years, Mr Quill said, batting away suggestions that sites may be ramping up prices in response to demand.
“They might have changed the way they were charging things a little bit, or there would possibly be a slight increase because sites have been closed up for so long and have lost so much business,” he said, but there hasn’t been big increases across the board.
Not proving as popular this year are traditional hotels.
The latest industry survey from the Irish Hotel Federation (IHF), which was taken earlier this month, shows signs of a slight uplift in summer booking levels in coastal areas, with the South West region (Cork and Kerry) seeing occupancy rates of around 34% for July and August.
This is higher than the national average which sits at just 22%.
It’s a “historic low” for hotel bookings according to IHF president Elaina Fitzgerald Kane.
Ms Fitzgerald Kane, who is also sales director at Fitzgerald's Woodlands House Hotel & Spa in Adare, Co Limerick, said the ongoing lack of detail from the government on when hotels and guesthouses may be allowed re-open is “jeopardising” the viability of both.
“Booking levels have never been this low so close to the key summer months, which are a lifebuoy for many businesses for the remainder of the year.”
IHF chief executive Tim Fenn said he expects booking levels will rise over the coming weeks, and noted that the domestic market was “a real positive” for the industry last year.
“Last year occupancy levels for the key summer months of July and August averaged 49%,” he said, though he noted this compares to an average of 90% for the same period in 2019.
A family of four booking a week-long stay in July could expect to pay €637 for Kings Court Holiday Apartments in Tralee, Co Kerry, or €1,150 to spend a week in Kilkee Holidays Homes, Co Clare.
A week’s staycation in Sheans Holiday Cottage, a pet-friendly holiday accommodation, located in a rural setting near Killarney would cost you €813 in July.
In late August, a week-long visit to the Stables Holiday Cottage at Dunmore East, Co Waterford, would cost you €768 while a seven-night stay in Castlemartyr Holiday Lodges in Co Cork would set you back €995.
A weekend of glamping at Sir Rogers Caravan & Camping Park near Banna Bay in Co Kerry would set you back €240 in August, while pitching up a Caravan at Blarney Caravan & Camping for the weekend would cost you €76 in July.
A weekend in the five-star Park Hotel Kenmare in July would cost two adults and two children in the region of €1,110, while the four-star Killarney Royal Hotel would cost you €618.
Two nights in Cork’s four-star Montenotte would see you hand over €550, while a family room in Armada Hotel, Spanish Point, Co Clare, would cost you €606.
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