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Chester Zoo Hosts Summit on Changing How Weather Apps Display Forecasts
Chester Zoo is hosting a summit with the Met Office, UK government officials and 16 major attractions to address how weather apps display forecasts. The zoo estimates misleading icons cost it up to £137,000 per day in lost visitor income. The event follows a March campaign that has drawn support from more than 80 attractions.
Jul 13, 1:09 AM·1m read1 source
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The Bbc reported that Chester Zoo is hosting a summit to address how weather apps display forecasts, which the zoo estimates cost it up to £137,000 per day in lost visitor income. The event brings together the Met Office, UK government officials and 16 major UK attractions including Bletchley Park, Go Ape and the Zoological Society of London.
Chester Zoo launched its campaign in March after chief operating officer Dom Strange said a single rain icon was deterring visitors even when it indicated only a brief shower.
The zoo has held constructive conversations with the Met Office since then and now seeks a Norwegian-style four-slot system that splits the day into six-hour windows and includes a dry-hours indicator. A survey by Chester Zoo and Navigate found more than 60 percent of UK attractions reported visitor numbers dropped by more than 40 percent after a poorly displayed forecast, with some losing more than half their visitors on a single bad icon.
More than 80 percent of attractions surveyed backed the proposed four-slot format.
More than 80 attractions have backed the call for changes, including the Eden Project, RHS Gardens, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Blenheim Palace. The group has stressed that the issue lies in how forecasts are displayed rather than their accuracy. The summit, chaired by VisitBritain board member Nigel Wilkinson, will gather around 30 delegates including the head of domestic tourism at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, senior Met Office figures and the head of the Public Weather Service.
Navigate's Olly Reed said data from March showed a 30 percent visitor drop from a misleading icon, with some attractions now reporting losses exceeding 50 percent. Dom Strange said the meeting offers a chance to produce recommendations that can be put into practice.
