Three Staffordshire tourist attractions have given their support to a national push to change how weather forecasts are displayed on popular apps.
Trentham Monkey Forest, Drayton Manor Resort and Lichfield Maize Maze are among 100 signatories to a letter sent to the Met Office’s chief executive raising concerns that a single raincloud icon summarising a 24-hour period can create the impression of a washout day, despite much of it being dry.
Tourist attractions claim these symbols can deter up to 30 per cent of visitors in a single day, representing a potential loss of £137,000 to the UK’s largest attractions every time a raincloud appears on a Saturday morning forecast.
The campaign is being led by Chester Zoo with support from digital marketing experts Navigate.
The letter refers to research which suggests around 70 per cent of people check the forecast before making plans and that visitors are often deterred not by the actual forecast, but how they are presented.
It calls for a roundtable with the Met Office, government and major weather app developers to explore practical improvements including separate daytime and overnight weather icons and clearer written summaries.
The letter sent to Professor Penny Endersby reads: “Many apps summarise an entire 24-hour period with a single icon, so brief overnight rain can dominate the forecast and create the impression of a wet day. While more detailed data does exist, most users glance at the top-line symbol and plan their day accordingly.
“This means that a single raincloud icon can cost thousands of pounds in lost revenue – some predictions as high as £137,000 a day. Seasonal and outdoor venues are hit hardest, with some reporting attendance dropping as much as 30 per cent after a negative forecast, even when opening hours remain dry.
“We greatly value the Met Office’s expertise and appreciate that your forecasts serve a wide range of audiences. We are not questioning the long-established science behind your work; rather we would welcome the opportunity to better understand the methodology behind how data is presented – and explore whether things could be done differently, particularly via third-party apps.”
It adds: “With the rapid advances in app development and data visualisation, we are confident that practical solutions exist – and that, together, we can deliver clearer, more useful forecasts that benefit visitors, attractions, and the wider UK economy.”
Trentham Monkey Forest’s park director Matt Lovatt told Daily Focus: “Here at Trentham Monkey Forest the weather obviously does have an impact, being an outdoor space. Our aim is to connect as many people as possible to Barbary macaques and raise awareness of the endangered species whilst getting vital conservation messaging across.
“Weather apps dictate visitors and their plans. They impact their choice of where to visit and ultimately, the amount of people we’re able to communicate to on our paths and feeding talks. A day could appear much wetter than what transpires, which can have a negative impact on the Monkey Forest.”
Other names to have signed the petition are senior figures from Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort, Eden Project, Longleat, Kids Pass and the Tourism Alliance.
