Government officials, The Met Office and the heads of 16 of the biggest attractions in the UK recently met at Chester Zoo to discuss misleading forecast icons on weather applications and the negative impact they have on visits
The aim of the talks was to find an effective way for forecasts to be displayed to the public that doesn’t deter them from a day outdoors. Back in March, Chester Zoo warned that misleading icons showing rain on weather apps were likely costing UK attraction as much as £137,000 a day. The conservation zoo received significant support from over 80 attractions that included Blackpool Pleasure Beach, RHS Gardens, the Eden Project and Blenheim Palace.
The attractions state that the accuracy of the forecast isn’t the issue, but the method of display with a short shower sometimes represented with single icon that indicates an all-day downpour.
After the campaign helmed by Chester Zoo began, the Met Office actively engaged with the tourism sector and the summit was a direct result of the continuing talks. The event was chaired by Nigel Wilkinson MBE, a board member of Visit Britain and assembled around 30 delegates.
Fresh research conducted the zoo and Navigate tourism consultancy unearthed that over 60% of attractions experience a fall in visitors of more than 40% after a poorly displayed forecast, with others reported declines exceeding 50%.
Suggested fixes included splitting days into shorter time periods so morning showers don’t skew the entire forecast, and clearer written summaries with a “dry hours” indicator.