{"id":5036,"date":"2026-01-28T16:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T16:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5036"},"modified":"2026-01-28T16:28:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T16:28:50","slug":"south-west-holiday-let-market-insights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/south-west-holiday-let-market-insights\/","title":{"rendered":"South West Holiday Letting Market Insights for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #043570;\"><strong>2025 was a year of resilience and growth for Helpful Holidays. Despite wider economic challenges driving lower search volumes for self-catering stays, our Devon portfolio outperformed expectations, achieving higher occupancy than last year and delivering consistent revenue per property.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re proud to share our Holiday Letting Market Insights for 2026, drawn from our own booking and income data, as well as data from our parent company, Sykes Holiday Cottages. A detailed review of the South West\u2019s holiday cottage industry, this report contains valuable insights into market trends, helping owners optimise their property\u2019s potential and drive more bookings.<\/p>\n<p>Read on for some of our key findings, or for a more detailed analysis, <a href=\"#download\">download your free copy of the full report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4882\" src=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/09\/Helpful-Holidays.jpg\" alt=\"Dartmoor landscape, overlaid with the Helpful Holidays Logo.\" width=\"640\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Use the quick links below to learn more about a specific area of the holiday letting market:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#1\">Summary of the South West holiday letting market<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#2\">Top performing properties<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3\">Optimising your holiday let income<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#4\">Value-adding property features<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#5\">Emerging holiday letting trends for 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#6\">Marketing your holiday home<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#7\">Download your free Market Insights Report<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"1\">Summary of the South West holiday letting market<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5138\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Collihole-Fm\/Butterwell-Cottage-at-Collihole-1136364.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5138\" class=\"wp-image-5138 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/Butterwell-Cottage-at-Collihole-Chagford.jpg\" alt=\"Country garden with outdoor eating area next to Butterwell Cottage at Collihole, Chagford\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/Butterwell-Cottage-at-Collihole-Chagford.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/Butterwell-Cottage-at-Collihole-Chagford-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5138\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Collihole-Fm\/Butterwell-Cottage-at-Collihole-1136364.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Butterwell Cottage at Collihole, Chagford<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>80% summer occupancy<\/strong>: Following a challenging winter, our average occupancy during the peak summer period was 80%.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bookings per property up 3%<\/strong>: Overall, bookings per property increased by 3% in 2025.<\/li>\n<li><strong>34% last-minute bookings<\/strong>: A notable 34% of our bookings in Devon were made within four weeks of the holiday start date, a 4% increase from the previous year.<\/li>\n<li><strong>40% short breaks<\/strong>: Breaks of three, four or five nights accounted for 40% of our bookings, an 8% increase from 2024.<\/li>\n<li><strong>2% same day arrivals<\/strong>: Lead times for bookings are decreasing \u2014 2% of August bookings were made on the holiday start date.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Over 550 properties<\/strong>: We now manage a diverse portfolio of over 550 properties across the South West.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"2\">Top performing properties<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5363\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Rectory-Wood\/Rookwood-1000312.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5363\" class=\"wp-image-5363 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/04\/Rookwood-Drewsteignton.jpg\" alt=\"A pretty thatched terraced cottage, facing onto a lane which leads to a village church.\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/04\/Rookwood-Drewsteignton.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/04\/Rookwood-Drewsteignton-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5363\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Rectory-Wood\/Rookwood-1000312.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rookwood, Drewsteignton<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Here are some of our highest performing properties for 2025:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Rectory-Wood\/Rookwood-1000312.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Rookwood, Drewsteignton, Devon<\/strong><\/a>: 64 bookings in 2025, 20 already for 2026.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Crablake-Fm\/Crablake-Farmhouse-1089093.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Crablake Farmhouse, Exminster, Devon<\/strong><\/a>: 57 bookings in 2025, 24 already for 2026.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Cotswolds-Wiltshire-Edington\/Tillys-Cottage-1007793.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Tilly\u2019s Cottage, Edington, Wiltshire<\/strong><\/a>: 57 bookings in 2025, 21 already for 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Somerset-Nempnett-Fm\/Nempnett-Farmhouse-1151124.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Nempnett Farmhouse, Blagdon, Somerset<\/strong><\/a>: 47 bookings in 2025, 26 already for 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Ward-Br\/Buster-Barn-975739.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Buster Barn, Samford Spinney<\/strong><\/a>, nr Tavistock 47 bookings in 2025 32 already for 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Bookings correct as of 15\/12\/25<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"3\">Optimising your holiday let income<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5134\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Brightley\/Brightley-Mill-Barn-952114.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5134\" class=\"wp-image-5134 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/Brightley-Mill-Barn-Okehampton.jpg\" alt=\"Outside view of Brightley Mill Barn, Okehampton, on a sunny day\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/Brightley-Mill-Barn-Okehampton.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/Brightley-Mill-Barn-Okehampton-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5134\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Brightley\/Brightley-Mill-Barn-952114.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brightley Mill Barn, Okehampton<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Allowing short breaks<\/h3>\n<p>Short breaks are increasingly popular, with 40% of our bookings in Devon being for three, four, or five nights. This has seen a rise from 32% in 2024. Offering short breaks can enhance your property&#8217;s appeal and increase revenue.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f2f2f2; padding: 32px 32px 32px 32px; margin-bottom: 32px; border-radius: 10px;\"><b>Did you know?<br \/>\n<\/b><br \/>\nTwo short breaks in place of one week-long booking returns on average 148% of the weekly rental. Our average short break is currently taken at 74% of the weekly rental price.<\/div>\n<h3>Flexibility with last-minute bookings<\/h3>\n<p>With 34% of bookings made within four weeks of the start date, being flexible with last-minute bookings can significantly boost your holiday let&#8217;s occupancy rates.<\/p>\n<h3>Pet-friendly properties<\/h3>\n<p>27% of all bookings in 2025 included a pet. Properties accepting pets earn on average 8% more bookings and 16% more revenue per year.<\/p>\n<h3>Optimise your pricing<\/h3>\n<p>Helpful Holidays offer dynamic pricing tools to help maximize your income. Properties that adopt our pricing recommendations see an average of 7 additional bookings and 26% more revenue per year.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"4\">Value-adding property features<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_4643\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Coombe-Fm\/Orchard-Retreat-1118018.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4643\" class=\"wp-image-4643 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/Orchard-Retreat-Witheridge-640x427-1.jpg\" alt=\"South West Holiday Let Market Insight Report 2024 | The hot tub and shepherd's hut at Orchard Retreat, Witheridge\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4643\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Coombe-Fm\/Orchard-Retreat-1118018.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Orchard Retreat, Witheridge<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Investing in popular features can help your property gain more bookings and income. Here are our most popular search and booking features in 2025:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Pet friendly<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Hot tubs<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Large properties<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Sea views<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Swimming pools<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Wi-Fi<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Garden\/Outside Space<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f2f2f2; padding: 32px 32px 32px 32px; margin-bottom: 32px; border-radius: 10px;\"><b>Did you know?<br \/>\n<\/b><br \/>\nInstalling a hot tub could boost your revenue by 40%!<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"5\">Emerging holiday letting trends for 2026<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5026\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Mortehoe\/Rosebank-Cottage-1018763.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5026\" class=\"wp-image-5026 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/02\/Rosebank-Mortehoe-640x427-1.jpg\" alt=\"View of the sea from Rosebank Cottage, Mortehoe\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5026\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Mortehoe\/Rosebank-Cottage-1018763.html\">Rosebank, Mortehoe<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>According to our annual survey of 1,000 adults, <strong>63%<\/strong> of Brits plan to take a UK break in the next 12 months, and <strong>34%<\/strong> are planning to make it their main holiday. This strong intent signals a positive outlook for 2026.<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, we&#8217;ve seen some interesting shifts in Brits&#8217; holiday preferences. We expect the following trends to shape holiday makers&#8217; decisions in the year ahead:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Two breaks are better than one<\/strong>: Almost half of those planning a staycation intend to take 2-3 UK breaks in 2026.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Home advantage<\/strong>: 35% of UK adults are more likely to choose a UK holiday over going abroad, and 56% say UK holidays are easier to plan.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gen Z leads the way<\/strong>: In 2025, 71% of 18\u201328-year-olds planned to holiday in the UK, with nearly half choosing it as their main break.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u2018Tastecations\u2019 on the rise<\/strong>: A third of Brits have chosen a holiday destination for its local delicacies, or even a specific restaurant.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Solo staycationing<\/strong>: One in three Brits say they\u2019re more likely to take a solo break now than five years ago, showing a trend towards independence and self-care.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A surge in AI usage<\/strong>: The number of customers finding our website through AI platforms rocketed in 2025, with 70% of UK holiday makers now using AI for holiday planning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"6\">Marketing your holiday Home<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5027\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Crow-Point\/Mariners-Cottage-1195730.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5027\" class=\"wp-image-5027 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/02\/Mariners-Cottage-Appledore.jpg\" alt=\"Sea view from the kitchen of Mariners Cottage, Appledore\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5027\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/cottage\/Devon-Crow-Point\/Mariners-Cottage-1195730.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mariners Cottage, Appledore<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>At Helpful Holidays, we combine local expertise with the national reach of Sykes Holiday Cottages. In 2025, we spent <strong>\u00a335 million<\/strong> on marketing, ensuring our properties had maximum exposure across all media channels.<\/p>\n<p>All properties let with Helpful Holidays are also listed on the Sykes Holiday Cottages website. Sykes has the <strong>largest share of voice<\/strong> for brand searches amongst our four largest competitors in the industry, with over <strong>3 million searches<\/strong> per year.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"7\">Help with letting your holiday property<\/h2>\n<p>Helpful Holidays&#8217; <strong>2026 Market Insights Report<\/strong> is an essential resource, filled with useful pointers for letting your holiday property, whether you\u2019re an experienced owner or just thinking of buying.<\/p>\n<p>To download a full copy of the report, complete the form below. Our team will also be in touch to answer any questions about letting with Helpful Holidays.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: -25px; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/sykescottages.jotform.com\/jsform\/250904692043960\"><\/script><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for more useful holiday letting blogs, visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/category\/owner-advice\/\" rel=\"noopener\">owner advice page<\/a> for everything you need to know. From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/money-saving-tips-to-cut-holiday-let-costs\/\" rel=\"noopener\">holiday let cost cutting tips<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/holiday-property-management\/\" rel=\"noopener\">South West holiday let management<\/a>, we have a range of guides to keep you informed and up to date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2025 was a year of resilience and growth for Helpful Holidays. Despite wider economic challenges driving lower search volumes for self-catering stays, our Devon portfolio outperformed expectations, achieving higher occupancy than last year and delivering consistent revenue per property. We\u2019re proud to share our Holiday Letting Market Insights for 2026, drawn from our own booking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"featured_media":4646,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-owner-advice","location-south-west-england"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/173"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5036"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5374,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5036\/revisions\/5374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}