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Bookings down from last year.

Hi guys and gals, Just checking to see if others are experiencing a downturn so far this year. My apartment is in a great village in the South of France. Last year—my first—May, June and the summer were totally booked. So far very few reservations. My property has a 9.8 rating.

Are others experiencing the Brexit or the Gilets Jaunes effect? I run specials on a regular basis to help boost reservations. No great influx yet.

Merci Beaucoup, Mark


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White Lotus Ubud 4 years ago

Hi Mark,

absolutely the same for me, I used to make 96% occupation per year, but since late 2018 my bookings has gone down 60-65%. I am really concern about what is going on and on top of this, Booking.com has downgraded my property because of too little Reservations!!!! After I have been a member of this community for 6 Years and made Booking.com richer!

I still can not believe they are going to remove my property from their page, for now my property has been removed from preferred status and if I don't get more bookings within 180 days, they are going to remove my property from their Program!!!!

I am shocked by the way they treat reliable customers...no words for this...as if it is my fault for the loss of reservations. What they want is to come down with the prices to a point where there is no point anymore to do this business and I am not doing this.

j
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Jennyharris 4 years ago

Bookings seem to be down all over! In Cape first it was the drought and now load shedding....

No way of knowing that this is the cause?

Even local bookings are down - the economy?

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Shikwari Game … 4 years ago

Here in SA we have also been affected by the drought and Cape Town not having water. We had bookings the the FIT's were starting or ending their journey in Cape Town so they were cancelled. Thankfully we receive great rain and all is back to normal. There is also the worry about not having electricity, it's not really a problem especially as we are in the bush anyway and do get power cut from storms We are set up with a small generator and have battery LED lights. Card machines are connected to our cell providers so that is also not a problem but we are still not getting any bookings. Visitors hear about a problem in north Africa and think is effects us.like the Ebola in West Africa. Also the Listeria scare, it was contained immediately and things are back to normal still no guests. Our winter months are known for the best game viewing as the bush is thinner and the weather a bit cooler so having no bookings for the June/July/August period is worrying. I just don't know what to do about this.

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Martina Stoecker 4 years ago

As we opened in October '18 it is a bit difficult to say, but I have the feeling that it is a political issue as well. I hear the voices from tourists from overseas planning their holidays for end 19 and 20 - they are worried as now ( but very little ) the media in Europe shows what's going on in SA at this stage. What a damage to our tourism industry for the upcoming season.

I think, it is not only the drought or the load shedding - things we can mostly work around at a BnB anyway. It is about safety.

But it got quiet so early this year. that's what I'm concerned about. O well, and of course the money is tight, everywhere. The flights got more expensive, the petrol is not really cheap anymore so travelling hundreds of kilometers is pricey and so on.

Well, like I said, it is our first year and we look back to an - unexpected - great and successful season And going into the winter season now, we know that it can be very very quiet - here August is also named the "suicide month". Not only for accommodation businesses. Sounds awful, doesn't it?

I look in my reservation system and it just reminds me, how often in all these years before, we had been worried about the upcoming main season: no bookings in sight, calendar is empty..... what is happening? And then - by the end of the season month's later we looked back and we had a very busy time again.

So I press thumbs for all.....

j
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Jennyharris 4 years ago

We have no bookings as of now until the end of the year, which has never happened before....

Extremely worrying..

j
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Jennyharris 4 years ago

I'm thinking it has more to do with the political situation in SA, the violence and criminality and, of course all the negative publicity. Many businesses are suffering...

Any chance that things might improve after the elections, do you think?

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Martina Stoecker 4 years ago

For me there's only one way to find out: waiting what happens after the 8th... at this stage it's just too difficult to say.