Market Insights & Booking Behaviour Update (July 2025)

Dear Owners,

We’ve pulled together the latest data and trends from our platform and wider market insights to help inform your pricing, availability and amenities decisions as we move into the second half of the year.

Booking Search Trends

(source: www.dioni.co.uk GA4 data)

Length of Stay – What Are Guests Looking For?

• Shoulder Season (Sept–Dec):
  
  • 70.8% of searches were for six nights or less
    
• Peak Season (August):
  
  • 69.2% of searches were for six nights or less

📌 Cottage owners who embrace shorter stays and flexible changeover days will be best placed to capitalise on changing guest habits and maximise their revenue.

Popular Filters in Availability Searches

(source: www.dioni.co.uk GA4 data)

📌 Pet-friendly policies and hot tubs are high on guest wishlists. Cottage owners who adopt these upgrades can significantly increase their revenue.

Bookings via Availability Search

(source: www.dioni.co.uk GA4 data)

• 2025 (to date): 38% of bookings came via users who used the availability search
  
• 2024: 49% of bookings came via users who used the availability search

📌 Availability search is a key part of the booking journey.

Wider Regional Performance Overview 

(source: Beyond AirBnB analysis)

Whilst bookings for Dioni Cottage Owners are slightly up this year, wider market performance is not so positive.

Occupancy Rate Change (since 2021):

Average Booking Value (since 2024):

📌 Falling occupancy across North Wales, Cornwall, and the Lake District points to a tough year for the staycation market, likely driven by tighter household budgets and more people choosing holidays abroad. In North Wales, lower booking values may also reflect owners adjusting prices to meet the 182-night threshold.

📌 Summary

Future bookings for Dioni properties are 8% compared to this time last year (source: Supercontrol), but to keep that momentum, owners need to adapt to changing guest behaviour.

Shorter stays and last-minute bookings are now the norm, so rigid week-long-only bookings may limit your reach.

Guests are searching with intent. Pet-friendly properties and hot tubs top the filters, making them two of the most impactful upgrades.

Despite feeling the squeeze from rising expenses, cottage owners still need to keep prices in line with what guests are willing to pay, especially in North Wales, where a drive to meet the 182-night threshold has created a more price-sensitive market.

Finally, the new planning rules (Article 4) are likely to slow tourism growth in North Wales, which could have wider economic implications. For existing holiday let owners however, the restrictions offer a level of protection by limiting new competition. But less competition isn’t always a win. It can lead to complacency over time if businesses don’t continue to evolve with guest expectations.