Tourism minister welcomes Booking.com’s SME accommodation report

Tourism minister Tracey Crouch has pledged backing to help the sector continue to grow. Continue reading →

Tourism minister Tracey Crouch has pledged backing to help the sector continue to grow.

Her comments came in a visit to Booking.com’s 1,000-strong customer services centre in London’s Canary Wharf.

The minister also welcomed the publication of a qualitative research study undertaken by the online firm into the challenges facing the SME-sized accommodation sector in the UK.

UK area manager UK, Jason Grist said: “For nearly 20 years Booking.com has been operating in the UK, and SME-sized accommodation providers have been critical to the evolution of our business.

“Today around 80% of the 28,000+ accommodation providers who partner with Booking.com in the UK are SME-sized businesses.

“We undertook this research to better understand the issues that our partners have to navigate every day, and we have been delighted to share the feedback with the minister”.

Crouch said: “UK tourism is thriving. The industry makes a significant contribution to our economy, and we will continue to help the sector grow and promote the UK across the world.

“It was fantastic to meet members of Booking.com’s customer service team and hear about the role the company plays in connecting tourists and visitors with different types of accommodation across the country.”

The company plans to increase its customer services team by 300 by the end of the year.