Are Long-Range Guide Bookings a Thing of the Past?
Oddly enough, we’re hearing from multiple sources, spread throughout the country, about a new phenomenon in that long-range bookings are shrinking in number, and last-minute or closer-to-date bookings are up. And this is happening with many longstanding clients who used to book well in advance, but are now choosing to cut things closer. That hasn’t necessarily meant a downturn in total business. One guide we spoke with said he’s been “up” the last three years in a row, but the business is all coming within weeks or days, and not on the books months in advance? Is the client who used to have a standing date the last Saturday of every month becoming more scarce as they can factor in things like weather and flexible airfare to optimize their experiences? You tell us…
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2 Comments
Thanks for asking this question to the industry. We try to keep a close tab on this at Fisher Guiding, as we see it happening from all ages of anglers traveling to fish, though both long and short-range bookings are something we strive to make easier for both sides. The accessibility of travel and flexible airfare definitely seem to be big contributors. Often, good weather or seeing trip photos that someone else has posted seems to be enough to make an angler want to get out within a week or the month.
Maybe everyone has become so used to the instantaneous nature of the internet and smart phones that they assume (possibly subconsciously) that you can get whatever you want, whenever you want? Does this mean the our client base and society as a whole has become more and more impulse driven? Somewhat opposite to what fly fishing is all about,,,