The hugely-anticipated boxing bout between British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is set to bring a late-season boost to business for Bristol’s hoteliers. The long-awaited showdown is set for the early hours of Saturday 12 December, with Cardiff’s Principality Stadium hosting the ‘Battle of Britain’.
As soon as it seemed that this was to be the venue for the fight, fans started snapping up hotel rooms in the Welsh capital, which is a good omen for hotels in Bristol.
Adam Flint, Chair of the Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA) said: “Confirmation that the fight is taking place in Cardiff will only have a positive impact on hotels in Bristol, just as we experienced last year during the Oasis reunion concerts.
“With many rooms in Cardiff already booked by boxing fans, we expect our hotels to benefit from overflow trade, with Bristol being within easy reach of the venue. Potentially it’s like an early Christmas present for our businesses, with a nice boost in trade at the end of what has been a reasonably good year for us.
“The extended decent weather coupled with concerns over cancellations due to the Middle East conflicts, and new EU border controls seems to have prompted people to opt for staycations. Last year, Bristol hosted a number of key matches in the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which provided a late-summer boost to bookings in city hotels.
“Although there was no equivalent to that this year, September has been very encouraging in terms of occupancy, continuing the general trend from the summer, with huge numbers of visitors flocking to events like the International Balloon Fiesta and Harbour Festival, as well as a number of smaller events throughout the summer.
“The meetings and events side of our business has been inconsistent and slower than last year, however, confidence has been picking up as we entered October, with November in the city looking busy, and then we enter the festive period. In terms of Christmas parties and events, the current pace seems healthy and better than last year, which is encouraging.
“Of course, we would urge people to visit our vibrant city towards the end of the year, with a bustling Christmas market, many other events and plenty of shopping. With the big boxing match also likely to result in a rise in bookings, we’re hopeful of having a pretty decent final quarter of 2026.”
To find out more about the BHA, visit: www.bristol-hoteliers.co.uk.
