Storms fail to dampen record start to self-catering season

Despite the doom and gloom of the storms, Plymouth and the South Hams are set for a bumper self-catering season in 2014.

New figures from Blue Chip Holidays, which has over 300 high-end self catering holiday homes in South Devon, show that properties in Plymouth and the South Hams took record bookings for the coming year in January. Demand for the area rose over 30% on 2013 and tracked 20% higher than the rest of its portfolio of 850 properties, which also registered a record for bookings made in January.

Nicole Roe, Blue Chip Holidays’ Portfolio Development Manager for Plymouth and the South Hams, commented: “Customers have fallen in love with holidaying in South Devon. Following the best summer in living memory we are seeing a positive uplift in our bookings. If demand for our most popular locations continues at this rate we could easily run out of availability in key weeks. To prevent this from happening we’re actively seeking out new properties that match our customers’ growing appetite for high end holiday homes in Plymouth and the South Hams and we’re particularly interested in meeting owners looking to boost their annual income.”

While bookings rates for peak weeks have matched those of last year, the biggest area of growth has been in off-peak periods with bookings for February up 35%, bookings for May up 28% and bookings for October up 37%. Bookings for April have been particularly buoyant rising 78%, largely due to the later Easter school holiday period this year.

Commenting on the change in booking patterns Nicole Roe added: “Throughout January the number of short breaks booked for off-peak periods has risen by 50%. This is fantastic news for owners as, while we fully expect to book peak periods, the key to increasing income for a holiday home is to boost bookings in the shoulder periods. Achieve this and properties can realise much higher yields and revenue targets.”

Holiday home owners and investors interested in contacting Blue Chip Holidays for advice on renting out their holiday home, or for an income projection, can call 08453228387. Alternatively owners can visit www.bluechipowners.co.uk