I'm sceptical about accepting bookings online - is Pitchup.com for me?

Although Pitchup.com is generating up to 700 bookings per year for sites bookable on Pitchup.com, we know that many site managers are yet to be convinced about online booking, and this is understandable.

VisitEngland statistics show that some 70% of UK domestic holiday bookings are now made online. People do expect to search for a holiday and book it online these days, especially the online-savvy 'staycationers' who have abandoned foreign trips to holiday at home, who've been booking their flights online for years. People have limited time to phone around for accommodation or wait for email responses, especially at the last minute.

The amount of travel being booked by 'traditional' methods is in decline, and some parks already take over 70% of their bookings online. Over the coming years, fewer than 30% of domestic holiday bookings will be made 'offline', so not taking bookings online does severely restrict your overall market.

Usability studies show that if a website doesn’t provide a way of booking online, many users simply abandon it and find one that does. Just as the internet is a global platform to promote your business, any accommodation owner in the world can now compete for your customer's booking - not only local competitors with online booking, but also hotels and B&Bs, villas and chalets from Stirling to Sao Paolo.

One of the concerns about online booking that we often encounter is how managers can vet potential customers. Our separate FAQ explains how we've designed the site to protect managers and ensure that bookers comply with site rules.

Read more on how our online bookable listings work. For more information about online booking in the parks sector, read our article Online booking comes of age? [PDF download], published in the BH&HPA Journal's May/June 2010 issue.

* Source: UKTS