Business
Gen Z want hot tubs and cold plunges on staycations, holiday home giant says
Gen Z holidaymakers are driving an increase in wellness staycations and see features like hot tubs and saunas as “must-haves”, according to Europe’s biggest holiday homes business.
Awaze, which owns brands including Hoseasons and Cottages.com, said younger couples and adult groups were its fasting-growing demographic when it comes to bookings in the UK.
They were also the most likely cohort to seek out wellness features on trips away, including hot tubs, saunas and a cold water plunge.
Awaze manages more than 100,000 properties in 20 countries, and dug into its own bookings data for UK rentals to uncover holiday trends.
Properties with hot tubs make up more than half of all bookings, at 55%, up from less than 40% before the pandemic, the travel giant revealed.
They also gain 51% higher average weekly rates and 45% higher occupancy than homes without, driven by increasing demand for stays outside of peak periods.
Awaze said a 4% increase in occupancy across its global portfolio of homes in the third quarter, compared with last year, was boosted by younger people booking stays during “shoulder season”.
This refers to the time between the most in-demand months and offseason, such as between March and April, and September and October.
A separate poll carried out by the company found that around half of Gen Z holidaymakers said they had taken a wellness-focused getaway in the past three years – almost twice the proportion of older generations who said so.
The survey, of more than 1,000 travel consumers, also found that 59% of younger travellers would be willing to spend an extra £250 per person for a relaxation-focused break with wellness facilities, compared with a traditional UK stay.
Gen Z typically refers to people born between 1997 and 2012.
Matthew Price, Awaze’s chief executive, said experiences centred around wellbeing and relaxation were increasingly being prioritised over other forms of non-essential spending, like shopping on fashion and homeware.
He said: “The rise in wellness-led travel shows how younger generations are prioritising their physical and mental wellbeing over other things, and redefining what a great break looks like, with huge implications for the entire UK holiday market.
“Owners who are investing behind more wellness features in their homes, as we are seeing across our Hoseasons brand, are benefitting as they attract new audiences, boost occupancy levels and strengthen returns all year round.”
The government on Thursday kept petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices unchanged at Rs253.17 per litre and Rs257.08 per litre respectively, for the coming fortnight, starting from January 16.
This decision was notified in a press release issued by the Petroleum Division.
Earlier, it was expected that the prices of all petroleum products would go down by up to Rs4.50 per litre (over 1pc each) today in view of variation in the international market.
Petrol is primarily used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and two-wheelers, and directly impacts the budgets of the middle and lower-middle classes.
Meanwhile, most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary, as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains, and agricultural engines such as trucks, buses, tractors, tube wells, and threshers, and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
The government is currently charging about Rs100 per litre on petrol and about Rs97 per litre on diesel.
One of Britain’s most prolific rail fare dodgers could face jail after admitting dozens of travel offences.
Charles Brohiri, 29, pleaded guilty to travelling without buying a ticket a total of 112 times over a two-year period, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
He could be ordered to pay more than £18,000 in unpaid fares and legal costs, the court was told.
He will be sentenced next month.
District Judge Nina Tempia warned Brohiri “could face a custodial sentence because of the number of offences he has committed”.
He pleaded guilty to 76 offences on Thursday.
It came after he was convicted in his absence of 36 charges at a previous hearing.
During Thursday’s hearing, Judge Tempia dismissed a bid by Brohiri’s lawyers to have the 36 convictions overturned.
They had argued the prosecutions were unlawful because they had not been brought by a qualified legal professional.
But Judge Tempia rejected the argument, saying there had been “no abuse of this court’s process”.
JSW Jetour T2 Launch: JSW Motors Limited, the passenger vehicle arm of the JSW Group, is reportedly preparing to enter the Indian car market this year. It has partnered with Jetour, a China-based automotive brand owned by Chery Automobile, and the Jetour T2 SUV could be the company’s first product, according to the reports.
Media reports suggest that the launch will happen independently and not under the JSW MG Motor India joint venture. The SUV will wear a JSW badge and name, instead of the Jetour branding. The upcoming SUV will be assembled at JSW’s upcoming greenfield manufacturing facility in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra.
According to the reports, the company plans to have the vehicle on sale by the third quarter of this year. With this move, JSW aims to establish itself as a standalone carmaker in India.
Expected Powertrain
The SUV is likely to arrive with a 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid setup. Internationally, this hybrid powertrain is offered with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options. It is still unclear which version will be introduced in India.
Design
In terms of design, the T2 is a large and rugged-looking SUV. It has a boxy and upright stance, similar to vehicles like the Land Rover Defender. Despite its tough appearance, it uses a monocoque chassis instead of a ladder-frame construction.
Size
The SUV measures around 4.7 metres in length and nearly 2 metres in width. This makes it larger than the Tata Safari, even though it is a five-seater. A longer 7-seat version is also sold in some markets.
Price
Pricing details for India are yet to be announced. For reference, the front-wheel-drive five-seat T2 i-DM is priced at AED 1,44,000 (around Rs 35 lakh) in the UAE.
Jetour
Jetour is a brand owned by Chinese automaker Chery. Launched in 2018, it focuses mainly on SUVs and is present in markets across China, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
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