Sun & Snow: The number of foreign guests to resort apartments is growing

by   CIJ News iDesk III
2023-03-22   09:38
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The number of foreign visitors to resort apartments is growing year after year. If the trend continues, such bookings could account for more than 20 percent of all visits, up from the 13 percent recorded in 2021, according to Sun & Snow, which manages the rental of more than 2,000 apartments in more than 30 resorts and cities in Poland.

Although Sun & Snow, sells most of its offer through its own channels such as the website and call center, bookings made through external services such as Booking.com, still remain an important sales channel. For several years, Sun & Snow has also been keeping statistics on the country of origin of its customers. While foreign bookings in the high summer season, in previous years, did not exceed 10 percent of all stays, this year we can clearly see a trend, which is characterized by much higher activity of tourists from outside Poland. The largest group in this regard are bookings from Germany.

As for the data for the entire year 2022, the upward trend of foreign guests is noteworthy. They accounted for 21 percent last year, compared to 13 percent in 2021.

"It's still very early at the moment, but we can see a clear difference here, between the approach of those living in Poland, who are holding back their decisions, and foreign guests, who are booking selected locations and dates well in advance. If this trend continues, the most interesting high season locations in our offer may soon be unavailable, and the share of foreign tourists may significantly exceed 20% of all stays," says Marcin Dumania, President at Sun & Snow.

According to Sun & Snow's data, foreign bookings currently account for 15 percent of all stays purchased for July and August this year. If we consider only bookings made through Booking.com, the share rises to 31 percent. In comparison, foreign bookings last year accounted for 10 percent of all Sun & Snow's sold offerings for the summer season, while they reached 21 percent for the year as a whole. What draws attention is the significant increase in foreign bookings for the high summer season.

"There is a clear trend showing that we are getting more and more foreign bookings every year. This is certainly influenced by the weak zloty, which makes holidays in Poland, for foreign guests, much cheaper than the domestic offer. Our accommodation base is also getting larger and more comfortable, while the number of attractions in Poland is increasing. Thanks to the introduction of the Click & Stay service at Sun & Snow apartments, it is now possible to check in quickly and conveniently online, and with a few clicks guests go through the entire process - from choosing an apartment, signing the necessary documents, payment, to receiving instructions and an entry code. Such facilities are very important for this group of customers," adds Marcin Dumania of Sun & Snow.

The Click & Stay service was introduced by Sun & Snow at the beginning of this year. It is now available at all locations where Sun & Snow manages apartments. From a smartphone and without having to visit a local office, guests can make a reservation there 24 hours a day. They will do so without installing an additional app. Contact with the operator is possible through publicly available channels such as sms, email and WhatsApp, also in English and German.

Recently, there have been many predictions about the recovery of tourism in 2023. For example, the UN World Tourism Organization reports that by the end of 2022, tourist traffic will have reached 65 percent of pre-pandemic levels. According to the Organization, some regions and destinations are already at 80-90 percent of 2019 visitation. Poland's popularity as a country to visit during the vacations is also growing. The popular U.S. TV channel CNN, earlier this year, ranked 23 places that the station's journalists believe are worth visiting this year. They put Poland in first place, ahead of Australia and England's Liverpool.