St Andrews residents have received inquiries about renting their driveways for this year’s Open Championship as visitors shun rental accommodation.
Hundreds of properties are still available during this year’s event in less than three weeks’ time.
And tourism experts say this has never happened before.
One woman said she had hoped to make £8,000 by renting out her home for the week but had no takers.
Instead, she was contacted by someone asking to park in her drive.
She said: “A lot of people are saying the same.
“There used to be a joke that people were building extensions and buying new cars on the back of the huge rentals they charged during The Open.
“It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen this year. Business is bad.”
Hundreds of rooms still available
Tourism operators and home owners believe the new ballot system for tickets for The Open Championship is partly to blame for the change.
Previously, fans could buy tickets for the entire event, which runs this year from July 14 to 17.
However, this time people had to apply and were allocated places on just one or two days.
Accommodation provider Airbnb still has more than 400 rooms available in and around St Andrews during the week of The Open.
However, the website says more people than usual are searching for those dates.
Other accommodation websites also have availability.
And it includes the seven-bedroom Fernie Castle, near Ladybank, which boasts a room in a treehouse and a landing area for helicopters.
“Who’s going to pay thousands of pounds to stay for a week if they’re only going to the golf for one day?” the St Andrews woman said.
“Obviously there might be a mad last minute rush but at the moment it doesn’t look like it.”
‘This has never happened before’
And Moira Henderson of Fife Tourism Partnership agrees.
“People are not booking for the week,” she said.
“This has never happened before. It’s nothing like we expected, although we are still getting enquiries.”
A record-breaking 290,000 people are expected to descend on Fife during the week of The Open, bringing an estimated £100 million benefit.
However, Moira fears St Andrews many not be as busy as hoped if people are choosing not to stay.
“The only people who are coming for a week are the corporate people involved in the golf itself,” she said.
Previously, people were charging more than £30,000 for the week.
However, most of the properties still advertised now appear to have more modest price tags.
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