2022 in review: A difficult year for visitor attractions

It is, once again, the “most wonderful time” of the year. Some visitor attractions are running at maximum capacity, pushing their event booking systems to the absolute limit, while others are starting to wind down (or have already closed!) for the Christmas period.

No matter how you are spending the final few weeks of 2022, it’s the perfect time to look back upon a rather tumultuous year for visitor attractions.

We’re thankful that our attraction booking software, VenposCloud, has continued to grow and evolve throughout 2022, and will continue to do so next year, too! We’re proud to have been able to help so many clients up and down the UK navigate this tricky period.

Read on for our industry round up of the last 12 months!

Tourism and visitor attractions are still feeling the effects of the pandemic

2022 was not necessarily an easy year for business in the visitor attraction industry. Visitor levels are still significantly lower when compared to pre-pandemic levels, and international tourism is still in the midst of the recovery process despite the relaxation of travel regulations through the year.

However, there have certainly been signs of recovery from across the sector, especially when compared to figures recorded in the height of the pandemic.

International visits by the end of 2022 are expected to reach a total of 26.7 million, almost four times that of 2021! In fact, government figures show that DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries saw double the number of visits between July and September 2022 than during the same period in 2021, and more than six-times that of 2020.

While the tally of overseas visitors is still 15 million below that of 2019, visitor attractions have also successfully maximised domestic tourism to great effect. This focus on domestic visitors is expected to continue well into the new year, with the levels of visitors we saw pre-Covid not expected to return until 2024 or 2025.

Visitor attractions put a heavier focus on the usage of customer data

One of the many industry-specific trends seen throughout the year is the increased emphasis on customer data and how to use it effectively. Data is a sensitive topic, but it is especially crucial for businesses given the way it can be used for marketing and information.

The usage of visitor and membership CRM software has increased industry-wide, with many visitor attractions collecting data on visitor demographics, stock sales, peak times, and more. This information can then be used to make more informed business decisions.

For example, the data that our clients have collected using VenposCloud has helped them to know when to increase or decrease ticket prices, increase upsells, order more specific stock, and more.

We’ve also noticed data being used to better plan events, both for specific holiday periods like Christmas, and for one-offs throughout the year. Visitor attractions can use the data our system helps them collect to host events at specific times or locations to maximise footfall.

Our system also helps event managers allocate timeslots for tickets, reduce staffing costs with easy QR-code entry, reduce customer wait times, and more.

Plus, at the end of it all, the VenposCloud analysis and reporting tool will provide you with exportable reports to better understand and utilise any data collected through the different stages of the user journey.

A year of development for Vennersys

Vennersys has also undergone several changes over the year, with our most ambitious and successful project being the reimagining of our user journey. Designed in partnership with other industry experts using market research, our new user journey provides the best possible experience to your customers.

Our new user journey utilises accelerated data processes, enriched engagement tools, and automatic upsell promotion to ensure more consistent goal completions and increased revenue. Plus, it is fully optimised for mobile, branded to your attraction, and personalised to your specifications.

We’ve also worked on ways to better demonstrate the functionality and usage of the VenposCloud system through the production of videos and animations. So far, we have videos with our partners at Jack in the Box and the Food Museum, with another video on Blenheim Palace in the works!

Lastly, we’ve spent all year trying to help and communicate with our clients at every opportunity. We attended more than a dozen events and exhibitions in 2022 and have continued to upload blogs every few weeks with helpful tips to make the most out of our VenposCloud system.

The success of our clients is paramount, and we hope to be able to continue facilitating that success throughout 2023.

Get in touch

Interested in finding out what VenposCloud, our cloud-based ticketing software, could do for you next year? Feel free to reach out to our team for a no-obligation chat! Email us on contact@vennersys.com or call the office on 01908 735 274 to find out more.