Holiday Let Tax | Expert Advice for 2026
In April 2025, the Furnished Holiday Let tax scheme ended. However, there are still some tax reliefs available for...
by Emily Mercer / Owner
We are delighted to announce our popular Market Insights report for another year. Using data and statistics from our parent company Sykes Holiday Cottages, plus our annual consumer survey results, we reveal how the holiday let market is performing in Cornwall.
Read on for a summary of our report, including an overview of holiday let booking trends, occupancy levels and income in 2025, plus tips for optimising your property.
To download a full PDF copy of the report, please click here.
Use the quick links below to learn more about a specific area of the holiday letting market, or read on for an overall breakdown of our Market Insights Report:
At Cornish Cottage Holidays, 2025 was a year of resilience and strength.
The winter period brought a mix of challenges and changes. However, summer and autumn were stand out seasons, with our average holiday let occupancy hitting 84% for the peak summer weeks in Cornwall.
Here are some key statistics on how Cornish Cottage Holidays performed in 2025, and the agency’s core achievements for the year:
Here are some of our top performing properties from 2025.
Figures are correct as of 15/12/2025.
The Old Post Office
Porthleven
61 bookings in 2025, 9 already for 2026
Lantern Cottage
Padstow
58 bookings in 2025, 23 already for 2026
The Granary
Mawnan Smith
49 bookings in 2025, 32 already for 2026
Rock House
Trebarwith Strand
46 bookings in 2025, 23 already for 2026
Speedwell
Charlestown
45 bookings in 2025, 32 already for 2026
In addition to excellent marketing exposure, Cornish Cottage Holidays offers dynamic pricing tools, giving owners the ability to maximise their income as well as booking numbers. We automatically adjust prices in line with demand by analysing searches, booking trends and individual property performance.
Owners that take our advice and utilise our dynamic pricing tools, on average see 7 additional bookings and 26% more revenue per year, compared to properties that do not allow us to amend their prices.
Similarly, those that take our advice on where their base price should sit for their Cornwall holiday let, yield on average 41% more revenue than owners who set their own pricing.
If you’d like to find out how much your holiday home could earn, one of our New Property Consultants would love to visit and give an honest appraisal of its income and booking potential. Or, if you are thinking of investing in a property and would like some free advice, we can help with that too!
Visit our Let your Cottage page to book your free, no-obligation visit.
We are seeing demand for short stays consistently growing each year.
28% of our bookings in Cornwall were for short breaks of three, four or five nights. This is a rise from 24% in 2024, however still lower than counties such as Devon and Dorset due to the longer drive time.
Our average length of stay in 2025 was 5.5 nights; a slight decrease from 5.6 nights the previous year.
Last minute bookings are now the rule, rather than the exception.
28% of our bookings in Cornwall were made within four weeks of the holiday start date. This is a 3.8% increase from the previous year.
In August, 2% of all our bookings in Cornwall were made between 4pm the day before arrival and 12 noon on the day of the holiday start. .
Ensure that your property accepts last minute bookings and enlist the help of an agency or caretaker if you require support with facilitating last minute changeovers.
For more tips, read our guide to preparing your holiday let for last minute bookings.
We’ve seen growing demand for pet-friendly accommodation since 2019. A massive 27% of all bookings in 2025 included a pet.
Properties accepting pets earn on average 8% more bookings and 16% more revenue than those that don’t accept pets.
Learn more about preparing your holiday let for pets in our blog on making your holiday let dog friendly.
Hot tubs are our second most searched-for holiday criteria after pets, and installing a hot tub could boost your revenue by 40%.
Other value adding property features include:
As well as reducing your running costs and future proofing your business, considering your environmental impact can be a great way to accelerate your bookings.
We have seen an increased demand for properties with EV charge points. With only 6% of our properties currently having an EV charger, this is a great chance for owners to make their accommodation stand out from the crowd – a sure way to boost your Cornwall holiday let’s yield.
Wondering how to get started with sustainable holiday letting? Read our blog on making your holiday home eco-friendly!
The local Cornish Cottage Holidays team at Liskeard Show
At Cornish Cottage Holidays, we’re proud to offer owners the ‘best of both worlds’; hands on support and local knowledge from here in Cornwall, combined with the huge national marketing reach of Sykes Holiday Cottages.
All properties that join us are listed on both the Cornish Cottage Holidays and Sykes Holiday Cottages websites.
Here are some of our marketing insights for 2025, and ways we have secured bookings for our owners:
This varies, depending on the type and size of property you invest in. To give a rough indication, according to the Sykes Cottages 2025 Holiday Letting Outlook Report, the average income for a 1 bedroom property in the UK is £16500. By comparison a 3 bedroom property earns £24,700, whilst a 5 bedroom property earns on average £46,600. Some types of property are particularly good income generators, with unique accommodation such as castles earning up to £32,200, detached houses earning in the region of £31,400, and farm stays earning in the region of £29,8000. On the whole, the report finds the average turnover of a UK holiday let owner in 2024 was £24,700 (compared with £24,500 in 2023).
Running a holiday let can be hugely rewarding, especially with the right support and knowledge. For owners thinking of letting, keep in mind, guest expectations and booking patterns are continually evolving. With many guests opting for last minute short breaks, owners need to be responsive and flexible to keep their average holiday let occupancy high. To make things simpler, many owners opt to use a holiday letting agency to help market and manage their property. Read more about the benefits of using a holiday letting agency with a managed service option on our blog.
Common holiday let investment mistakes often stem from choosing the wrong partners, limiting flexibility, or underestimating the role of marketing. One of the biggest pitfalls is selecting an agent who over‑promises on income but fails to deliver. Likewise, owners who avoid short breaks, last‑minute stays, or pet‑friendly options often see lower occupancy and reduced income. With long weekends now the most popular getaway choice, embracing flexibility can significantly improve your average holiday let occupancy and overall revenue. Marketing is another area many investors underestimate. Without strong, multi‑channel visibility, even the best properties struggle to stand out in a competitive market.
Despite wider economic pressures, our holiday bookings in Cornwall were not down in 2025. In fact, our portfolio performed with remarkable stability. According to our Market Insights Report, we achieved a consistent level of bookings per property, comparable with 2024, even though national search volumes for self‑catering breaks had dipped. Looking ahead, intent from UK travellers remains high. Our survey shows 63% of Brits plan to take a UK break in the next 12 months, and early 2026 bookings for Cornwall have started strongly—giving us confidence in another robust year for holiday letting.
In recent years, many travellers have started moving away from relying on a single booking platform and are instead seeking transparent pricing, stronger customer support, and a more trustworthy booking experience. Rising fees, stricter policies, and inconsistent service across some large global platforms have prompted guests to look for alternatives that offer better value and clearer communication. At the same time, booking behaviour has diversified. Guests now browse multiple sites before committing, and our Market Insights Report highlights how important multi‑channel visibility has become. In 2025, we listed our properties across 700+ partner sites, including major platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com, ensuring guests can find us wherever they prefer to book. By offering trusted service and broad availability, we’re meeting the needs of guests who are choosing more dependable alternatives to single‑platform booking.
Do you own a holiday home in Cornwall, or are you thinking of letting your second home? Our 2026 Market Insights Report is an essential resource, filled with useful statistics and pointers for letting your holiday property, whether you’re an experienced owner or just thinking of buying.
To download a full copy of the report, complete the form below. Our team will also get in touch to send you a copy of our holiday home Owners Guide.
Discover how a local brand with national reach can work for you. With over 50 years of letting experience, we pride ourselves on delivering the bookings you deserve.
Find out how we can work together. With over 25 years’ experience, our local expertise will give you peace of mind and bring you the bookings you deserve.
by Emily Mercer / Owner
I'm Emily, the Regional Marketing Manager for our Sykes Cottages brands in Devon and Cornwall. I've been based in our Salcombe off...
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