Safety is a major consideration when holidaymakers are booking an overseas villa, according to research by a leading Burton travel company.
Research by Solmar Villa Holidays found that 87 per cent of customers agreed or strongly agreed that they would be more likely to book with a company which did villa safety checks than those that didn’t.
Solmar chief executive Julie Blake said: “It’s obvious people will want to know their villa is safe before they book, so the findings weren’t too surprising.
“The problem is, there is a risk that customers will assume that just because the provider is ABTA covered, or a UK brand, that someone from the company has actually checked the villa to make sure it is safe.
“One of things that came out the pandemic is that some companies may be looking for ways to protect profits by dispensing with things that aren’t deemed necessary, including elements like local support teams and in-person safety checks.
“But a tick box questionnaire filled in by the villa owner is just no substitute for an independent person going in to check that everything really is OK.
“Safety isn’t something we will compromise on. I’ve got children and I’ve got morals and I don’t want to wake up and find out someone has died or been seriously injured in one of our villas because we haven’t done due diligence.
“I would advise anyone booking a villa to really check what sort of safety assessments have been done and to check who they would be dealing with to resolve their complaint should they experience any problems.”
The customer survey also found that Brits head to the supermarket before anything else once they’ve arrived in resort. Checking out the views is the priority for 23 per cent of Solmar’s guests, while 11 per cent just dive straight into their villa’s private pool.
Almost half of Solmar’s customers (46 per cent) are intending to take two overseas holidays in 2023, and a whopping 27 per cent plan to go abroad three or more times. Just one per cent are planning to stay at home this year.
And the most important factor when booking a villa is location, location, location – 20 per cent of customers said this was their main priority, ahead of cost (19 per cent), reputation of the travel company (19 per cent) and villa amenities (16 per cent).
Solmar has more than 1600, stunning villas across the Mediterranean and Europe, with Kos and Ibiza newly added to the portfolio.
With in-resort villa managers, ABTA and ATOL reassurance and more than 30 years of experience, Solmar Villas is firmly established as one of the UK’s leading providers of villa holidays.
Villas range from cosy two-bedroom properties for romantic getaways to a seven-bedroom villa which is perfect for a big group.
All villas have pools and are fully equipped with everything needed for the perfect holiday. A Feefo rating of 4.9/5 is a glowing endorsement from the happy travellers who have experienced the quality of a Solmar getaway.
For more information and to book, visit www.solmarvillas.com/