Chester Zoo has led an initiative supported by the Pleasure Beach and 80 other outdoor attractions, to reform the way weather forecasts are displayed on mobile phone apps.
It is argued that a single rain cloud icon summarising a full day of weather can mislead potential guests into thinking that it is expected to rain all day – this is often not the case and can lead to guests not visiting, leading to significant loss in revenue.
James Cox, Director of Marketing said: “In the current economic climate… families see a leisure day out as a considered investment, rather than the throwaway discretionary spend of old. The impact of the weather forecast is therefore intensified, particularly for outdoor attractions. A significant amount of our bookings come within 24 hours of any given day, because people rely on that weather icon. Accurate reports with imagery that better reflects overall conditions are vital.”
The Met Office said it was working on improvements to forecasts and that more information would be available soon.