On Dec 3, 2021.
The World Health Organisation announced today that cases of the Covid-19 variant Omicron appear to be mild. The number of people cancelling their Christmas and New Year party bookings could be slowed by that and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's call for people and businesses to go ahead with their celebrations.
The evidence gathered by the industry suggests that there was a cancellation in response to Omicron. Operators feedback shows that many people are determined to go ahead with parties.
Venues such as pubs, bars, restaurants and nightclubs have invested heavily to ensure the safety of staff and customers, focusing on better ventilation, hygiene and sanitation, measures which are the most effective measures of infection control. This means that family and friends will be more likely to go to a venue for Christmas this year.
The sector has been hit by a 30% slump in Christmas bookings even before the emergence of Omicron, according to latest figures. A recent survey of hundreds of hospitality operators, representing tens of thousands of venues, shows that bookings for the festive period were down 12.4% on average based on expectations from 2019. According to the survey, festive bookings were more than 30% below expectations before Omicron.
Operators in the sector are losing confidence. A new survey of business leaders in the sector shows that confidence in the market has fallen by 7 percentage points to 51% in this quarter versus Q3 and confidence in their own businesses has fallen by 16 percentage points to 54%.
The British Beer & Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping, and UKHospitality said in a statement that the full range of hotels and restaurants across the UK would usually be experiencing their annual bookings bonanza at this time of year.
The WHO announcement that Omicron infections are generally mild, plus government promptings for festive gatherings to go ahead as planned, offer a crumb of comfort, and could at least slow the slew ofCancellations the sector has experienced in the week since Omicron was discovered.
We would like to remind those with bookings that they are safe in the knowledge that the venues are doing everything they can to ensure a safe and fun Christmas and New Year.
The World Health Organisation is in the UK.
