Fair Booking system aims to boost tourism businesses across Wales

Tourism businesses will be able to keep a larger share of the fee paid by guests booking their accommodation when a new campaign spreads to Wales.

Fair Booking Wales aims to encourage customers to book direct with a business to get the best deal and avoid a hefty commission charged every time a booking is made via an online travel agency. 

Wales will become only the fourth destination in the UK to sign up to www.FairBookingUK.com, following Cumbria Tourism, New Forest Destination Partnership and Visit Cornwall.

Introducing the system in Wales is MWT, an independent organisation that represents 600 tourism and hospitality businesses in Powys, Ceredigion, Meirionnydd and South Wales.

Participating businesses agree to provide the best deal available to customers who book direct and are encouraged to throw in complimentary extras as a bonus. In return, for every direct booking made, participating businesses pledge to make a donation of a set value to a local charity of their choice.

MWT’s chief executive Val Hawkins introduced Fair Booking Wales during Welsh Tourism Week at the annual Mid Wales Tourism Marketing and Business conference attended by 100 delegates at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells.

She aims to sign up at least 150 businesses, six Fair Booking areas of Wales and five charities during 2015. She told the conference that MWT would be using Cumbria Tourism’s successful Fair Booking model as a template and was keen to share best practice with the other participating destinations.

“This is a project that we have been looking to develop for some time and we are extremely excited about its potential,” she said. “We want to help our businesses within Wales attract more direct bookings and reduce their reliance on online travel agencies.”

Fair Booking Wales aims to support best practice, improve customer experience, increase profit margin and establish Wales as a Fair Booking community. By joining FairBookingUK.com now, Welsh businesses would be ahead of the game, said Mrs Hawkins.

Sue Clarke from Cumbria Tourism, who owns a guest house in the Lake District, said Fair Booking offered the best deal for businesses and the local community, built on long standing good practice, encouraged repeat trade, retained money in the local economy, promoted loyalty and added value.

It was estimated that £50 million a year left the Cumbrian economy in commission payments to online travel agencies. “A lot of visitors don’t understand when they book through an online travel agent that we have to pay a commission,” she said.

“We want our visitors to book direct or via the FairBooking website to get the best deal. Our phones are ringing a lot more as a result of the campaign. For each direct booking we receive, we give a minimum of 50p to a charity and our selected charities are working well with our businesses.”

She revealed that attractions and shops were getting involved in the scheme by offering discounts to people who use Fair Booking.

Conference delegate, Roger Stevens, owner of the Lasswade Country House, Llanwrtyd Wells, said: “Anything that saves us from the horrendous commissions that are starving our industry has got to be good. The majority of our guests don’t understand the vast commission that we pay.”