With a new year upon us, it’s good to look back and see what a great year it was for the Algarve’s villa rental space. With these positives in mind, we can proceed into 2022 with fresh ideas and hope for a fantastic year ahead.
It hasn’t been an easy year for travel. With restrictions enforced suddenly at different times throughout 2020 and 2021, tourists were never quite sure where they stood. However, it is a testament to the Algarve that they rushed back as soon as they could.
We wanted to share some insights from the year gone by and how these lay a solid foundation for a successful 2022.
Record demand for Algarve villa holidays
It’s safe to say tourists to the Algarve have always loved a villa holiday and the pandemic has, if anything, grown this demand further. After countless restrictions, the desire for family getaways only increased. This definitely shows when we look into our statistics.
Across all metrics, SandyBlue has experienced a significant uplift during 2021. When comparing our 2021 statistics to 2019, we can report enquiries up 22%, bookings up by 36% and average booking values up by a whopping 32%.
Across our exclusive portfolio, average occupancy was up from 18 weeks in 2019 to 22 weeks in 2021. These figures are truly remarkable given the global context of the pandemic.
Adapting and innovating
The pandemic has introduced a real need for being able to adapt to any situation. Flexibility was key and it all comes down to being intuitive to guests’ needs. This allowed us to work with our owner partners to keep weekly occupancy at an all-time high. Guest reviews were also invaluable.
With so many tourists doing more research than before, having a property with positive reviews will be a big draw for guests booking holidays for 2022.
Furthermore, checking in with guests post-departure continues the customer experience and is great for building a pool of returning guests.
In addition to adapting to ever-changing travel requirements and trends, it’s important to innovate. Working with a dedicated guest experience team at SandyBlue allowed owners to offer new in-villa experiences like private chefs and personal trainers. It really makes it special for a guest when they have access to these luxuries.
Also, longer stays and the rise of the workation mean owners who equip their villas to accommodate these will attract a new pool of guests.
A bright future
We have always believed the Algarve has so much to offer both villa owners and our guests. With record forward bookings, we expect 2022 to be the year that keeps on giving!
By Joe Mountain
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Joe Mountain is founder of Algarve villa rental specialists SandyBlue.
289 392 236 | www.sandyblue.com
