Summer is officially here. That means sunny weather, alfresco cocktails, barbecues... and, most importantly for you as an owner on Getaround, road trips.
There’s no question that holiday trips by car are going to be the travel trend of summer 2020. After months of confinement and travel restrictions due to COVID-19, Europe is finally beginning to open itself up for leisure travel again. Travel industry experts predict that most of those trips will be domestic tourism – people seeking summer holiday destinations a little closer to home.
With long-distance air travel still largely suspended, and travellers reluctant to hop back into crowded trains, what better way to travel in a post-coronavirus world than in a private car, limited to just your loved ones?
More drivers and longer trips
Why does this trend matter? It means more drivers will be searching for (and booking) long trips over the summer. Think five days to a week, and even longer.
Last year, the number of bookings for trips of 5 days or longer doubled in July and August, compared to other months. We also saw a 16% decrease in searches for trips shorter than 5 days, while searches for trips of more than 5 days increased by 106%.
This year, we’re expecting an even bigger spike in longer bookings. More people than ever are hoping to travel by car for long holiday trips, and that means they’ll start booking the best cars at the best prices, sooner. Is your car going to be among them?
What this means for you
“Searches for trips of more than 5 days increased by 106% during July and August, compared to previous months.”
To make sure you’re taking full advantage of this travel trend and getting the most out of your car this summer, you need to keep your prices competitive to attract drivers.
The best way to do that (while still maximising your earnings)? Offer discounts for longer rentals. This is also known as digressive pricing.
In your car’s price settings, you can adjust your discounts for rentals of 2 days, 1 week, and 1 month. Offering a higher discount for longer trips will make your car more attractive to drivers looking to book a car for a holiday. It also encourages drivers to book your car for longer, ensuring that your car will earn revenue on more days throughout the high season.
Not sure how much of a discount you should give? Start with our discount recommendations, which are customised for your car and location. We automatically calculate the optimal discounts based on the average prices of similar cars that get booked on Getaround, as well as research on local market rates.