London hotel searches fell 24% during tube strike

Hotel searches to London fell by 24% during the tube strike, according to hotel search website Trivago. 

The firm compared searches made between July 6 and 8 for a hotel stay during the scheduled tube strike (July 8 to 10) with the corresponding days during the previous week (Search period: June 29 to July 1; Travel period: July 1 to 3).

It found that searches from the UK dropped by 24% for a London hotel stay during the tube strike while global searches to London dropped by just 9%, suggesting the majority decrease in travel interest came from travellers within the UK.

Trivago said that searches for all future hotel stays in London dropped by just 4%, suggesting the decrease was caused by the tube strike.

Denise Bartlett, Trivago’s UK press officer, said: “It is extremely rare to see a significant decrease in travel interest to a city as large as London. With around 3000 hotels (as bookable via trivago), a decrease of 24% is likely to have a significant effect on the city’s tourism over the two-day period.

“The decrease in hotel searches is just one indicator of the effects of the tube strike, with visitors relying almost solely on the underground system in order to travel within the city.”