Richard Walker has the calendar clearly circled. There are 6 weeks to go, and he’s asking, “Are YOU summer ready?”.
It’s Friday 13th June 2025. Feeling lucky or unlucky? Well it is somewhere between 4-8 weeks from the start of summer school holidays for large swathes of the Northern Hemisphere. If you’re a family-focused attraction, you’ve no doubt got your plans and campaigns for the summer locked in. IF NOT, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST 12 MONTHS???
And if you’re wanting to grab your share of visitors this summer it’s likely you’ll be hitting “go” on your summer campaign pretty imminently, or you’re officially late. But this isn’t a blog telling you to do campaign development work. That’d be pretty bad timing on our part! Instead, and continuing on this loose theme of superstitions (because all good things come in threes) – are three more things for you to worry about / obsess over as we approach the peak.
Before we dive in – an acknowledgement from the author that the blog headline is purposefully provocative. If you’re an attraction or business operating in leisure and tourism, there are PLENTY of variables that are outside of your control. Now you’ve forgiven me for the click-bait title, it’s time to embrace your inner football manager and start “controlling the controllables” in regards to your visitor experience strategy.
First things first. You need to stand up and stand out
Yes, it’s hard at the moment. COVID, staffing challenges, cost of living crisis, visitor spending down, etc. etc. etc. But stand-out has never been more important. Be that within inboxes and Facebook feeds or through all the micro-touchpoints across the whole customer / visitor experience.
You are competing against more attractions, more offers—and there is more pressure to offer something truly different than ever. Families aren’t interested in buying sameness; they’re chasing novelty, Instagram moments and brag‑worthy experiences. There’s a heightened risk of visitors ticking you off as “been there, done that”—and not coming back. And you have to embrace the tech! 2D is not enough nowadays, there is a desire for multi-sensory, immersive and interactive experiences – especially for reaching younger audiences
Things to be researching right now:
- Have you managed to drive awareness? And how is that converting into consideration / intention?
- What’s the reason to come for the first time? What’s the reason to visit again?
- What are the perceptual barriers to re-visiting you need to overcome?
- Which attractions ARE on their consideration set and why? (what have THEY done to successfully cut through)?
- Exploring perceived attraction differentiation relative to their motivations
- Optimising the experience, inc. social opportunities: Are there fresh photo moments or sharable gems to your experience?
Secondly, there are the last-minute winners to consider.
I’m not talking title-sealing last-minute Manor Salomon winners versus Plymouth Argle here. Today’s leisure market is fuelled by impulsivity. Our recent UK surveys showed spontaneity was UP and planning DOWN. In the US, 44 % of leisure travellers book within a fortnight of the trip, and protocols like flash deals blur booking windows even further. In the UK, the FT reported UK holidaymakers favouring last‑minute holiday deals, with 64 % of bookings made within 90 days as they chase sunshine abroad.
Things to be researching right now:
- Which offers, deals and messages have greatest appeal amongst which audiences?
- Is the UX as seamless as it can be – are mobile booking flows quick, easy, frictionless?
- Do you understand your customers key barriers to engagement? Have you worked through the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity and Motivational) framework and designed tailored tactics and strategies for engagement?
- Have you also consulted with ‘light’ and ‘non-users’? Those who are engaged at the category level but aren’t strongly bought into the brand often provide the greatest opportunity for growth.
Thirdly, we need to talk about the weather.
This is a slightly Brit-leaning blog, and our weather obsessions exist for good reason. It’s not always sunny in Manchester. Nor is it in London, Belfast, Bude, Bute or Butlins. Or Philadelphia. It’s “unpredictable” – at best. British summers are “not what they used to be”. In many places, summer rainfall is becoming more intense. In local extremes: Lancashire saw 247 % of normal July rainfall in 2023, and parts of Scotland had across‑summer totals up to 240 % of average.
Things to be researching right now:
- What does the CX feel like in different weather conditions? How can it be optimised when extreme weather happens?
- Have you done your “rainy day” scenario modelling? Do you understand how visitor numbers react on wet versus sunny days?
- Do you have appealing content ready to go for the weeks of “inclement weather”
- Do you have the option for alternative ticket types if the experience is impacted? Is there an opportunity to embrace some form of dynamic pricing model accordingly?
The summer is still yours to own
Be it your comeback or breakthrough. With roughly six weeks left to go till school’s out, keep focusing on stand-out (differentiation and new-ness) and visitor-centric flexibility. Stick to insight-led and data‑led decisions, not gut feel. Engage with your frontline teams, be all over the last‑minute booking patterns and get that wet‑weather plan in place.
Consider this your mid-June summer-readiness checklist. Six weeks to go. Feeling ready? If burning questions remain, there’s still just enough time to get that last-minute research brief circulated and the difference-making insights back to act upon.
