A 2018 survey ranked Bath as the 9th most popular destination for a ‘staycation’ in the UK. Whether it’s a romantic city break for two, a reunion of old friends, or a fun-filled family trip the holiday rental market in Bath is booming. Visitbath.co.uk estimate that Bath received ‘3,410,000 staying visitor nights in 2016’, with 75% of these staycations listed as ‘holiday’, the rest divided between work and visits to friends or family.
With more and more people deciding to holiday on their own turf rather than venture overseas, Bath offers a city break with something for everyone. For overseas travellers, Bath is an essential stop on any whistle-stop tour of the UK. Within easy reach of London, it’s often used as a base for those visiting other popular tourist hot spots in the South West like historic Stonehenge and trendy Bristol. With speedy train links to London and Bristol airport less than an hour away, Bath’s an easy city to get to, and once you’ve arrived most of the city centre and main attractions can be reached within a half hour walk of each other.
And it’s easy to see what instantly draws these crowds – the history, culture, world-famous landmarks, national trust sites, but true Bathonians know what else is on offer – the vibrant food scene, the quirky bars and trendy cafes, the skyline walk, to mention a few!
Whether these travellers are here for business or pleasure – or both, with the growing ‘bleisure’ trend – finding a quality stay to suit their needs is going to be top of their agenda. For those wanting more than just a hotel room, having a whole house offers the opportunity to ‘live’ in Bath – to cook meals, relax in a social living area, have extra bedrooms for family or to use as a workspace, and maybe even a bit of outside space for summer barbeques.
Holiday sites like Airbnb have made it easier for home owners to offer unused properties to these holiday makers and it is certainly a lucrative market to be in – the staying visitor spend was valued at £235,616,000 by Visitbath.co.uk in 2016.
If you’re thinking of turning an unused property into a holiday rental, or investing in a property to let, Nook can help, just get in touch. We know the Bath property market inside out, and have a wealth of experience in property guardianship – taking care of your property for you.