THE top ‘West Cork’ Google search since the start of the pandemic was for ‘holiday homes’, followed by ‘glamping’ and ‘beaches’.
That’s according to Google Trends, which monitors web searches by category, and which has revealed that searches for ‘West Cork holiday homes’ were up 700%, compared with the same period in 2019.
The next most popular search was for ‘glamping in West Cork’, which was up by 350%, while research into ‘West Cork beaches’ saw an increase of 170% on the previous year. Searches for ‘AirBnB’ in ‘West Cork’ increased by 150% followed by ‘West Cork hotels’, up by 120%.
However, searches for the traditional B&B offerings in the region were not represented at all as part of Google Trends for West Cork.
People searching for houses for sale in West Cork resulted in a hike of 70% from 2019, and the request for information on maps of West Cork increased by 130%.
When it came to West Cork activities, ‘whale watching’ topped the list, up 300% on 2019, reflecting the huge upsurge in interest in the activity as reported by local operators this summer. Surfing and paddle boarding searches were up 170%.
When it came to seeking information on travel to local islands, searches on Google increased by 170%. Google Trends also reveals that interest in Crookhaven was up 200%. Schull and the Sheep’s Head peninsula both saw an increase of 165% on 2019. The coastal villages of Courtmacsherry and Baltimore also saw increases of over 100% each in searches.
