Weather app forecasts put off visitors, says farm

A charity farm and visitor attraction said daily forecast symbols on weather apps can be misleading and were having a "detrimental effect" on visitor numbers.

Sacrewell Farm in Thornhaugh, near Peterborough, offers animal and farm experiences for families and young people.

Chester Zoo hosted a summit on Monday calling on the providers of weather forecast apps to adopt a Norwegian-style forecasting system, which would split the day into four six-hour periods rather than relying on a single weather icon.

"It's putting people off visiting when there's really no need and it would be the perfect day for a visit to the farm," said Hannah Herbert, the farm's marketing manager.

"We've had customers say, 'We were going to come last week, but the forecast was bad so we didn't bother, and it actually turned out beautiful'."

The concern is that the apps may use the rain icon to summarise the day's weather, but a more detailed forecast might only show rain for a portion of the day.

The system is also widely used on the BBC's weather app.

Sacrewell Farm said it would typically expect about 700 visitors on a sunny summer weekend, but numbers have fluctuated this year.

"It's up and down," Herbert said.

"We've had weekends where we've been quieter than we normally would be. It being so hot, people are either at home with their children in the paddling pools or heading to the coast.

"We are putting lots of fun things in place to encourage visitors."

The summit brought together representatives from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Met Office and the Public Weather Service.

Olly Reed, the marketing director at tourism consultancy Navigate, which works with more than 50 UK visitor attractions, said its data showed a 30% drop in visitors linked to misleading weather icons in March, while some attractions were now reporting losses of more than 50%.

The Met Office previously said it was working with the tourism sector to improve weather services and support the visitor economy.

Following Monday's summit, Richard Bevan, Met Office's services director, said: "By listening to lived experience and sector expertise, we can investigate opportunities to improve how weather information is interpreted and applied.

"Our aim is simple: to provide trusted weather information that helps visitors make confident plans, supports great visitor experiences and helps tourism businesses prepare for whatever our summer brings."

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