2021 Year Review - My Tenterden website stats

30/12/2021

Tenterden News

2021 Year Review - My Tenterden website stats

Here at My Tenterden HQ it’s time to reminisce and as we look back over 2021 it's tempting to dive into the My Tenterden website stats to discover the hottest search terms of the year, and of course to share them with you; our community of Tenterden afficionados.

The “biggies” this year were a mix of predictable and unexpected.

Predictable: people are always searching on the website for things to do, and they like Christmas, steam trains, walking, shopping, garden centres, the Folk Festival, food & drink, restaurant meals… and Webbs!!

Unexpected: what we didn’t expect was the high level of interest in car parks and roadworks!

There were some sudden jumps in the website stats: new restaurants and cafes often cause the stats to jump. This year it was Hoof & Hook and Tenterden Grill, last year it was Banjara Indian restaurant. Everything new is exciting!

Pandemic effects:
The pandemic meant a dramatic reduction in live events but searches for many visitor attractions and activities, such as the Steam Railway have recovered to, or surpassed 2019 levels, as have searches for Accommodation and Places to Stay. So hopefully we can look forward to recovery in those areas.

Some stats reflect changes in our behaviour. Takeaway food, the High Street, local shopping, and walking activities surged in popularity. Gardening and DIY became very popular.

Some pages on the My Tenterden website have improved, for example "Shopping in Tenterden" to support the trend for more local information about the High Street.

Here are the top twelve - starting at the top, from the My Tenterden search engine we have…for the 12 months of 2021:

What's On in Tenterden – markets, boot fairs, live music, church services, organised walks, what’s open, shopping hours, holiday fun, gardens, family fun, festive fun, summer holiday activities, clubs, Sunday lunches, quizzes, meetings, webinars, networking, theatres, plays, national trust and festivals.
Christmas: shopping, markets, lights, pubs, restaurants, Christmas is VERY popular (and not just at Christmas!). The interest in Christmas starts building from July onwards.
Kent & East Sussex Railway including the Santa Specials, steam trains, Wealden Pullman, holiday fun, historic trips, Colonel Stephens Museum, railway experiences, afternoon tea, trips & general information.
Walks around Tenterden. Did you know there are 62 listed footpaths in & around Tenterden AB1 to AB62, 3 health walking groups go out each week, there’s the Footpaths Group - they walk on Sundays, and then there are other organised group walks with U3A and Tenara, and more too. Walking is a great fitness activity. Most of the stiles on the footpaths have been replaced by kissing gates – much kinder on creaky knees.
Tenterden High Street. We’re shopping mad in Tenterden!
Keep up to date with all the road closures & roadworks. There have been a lot this year! The main roadworks this year were the construction of the Beacon Oak/A28 roundabout and the resurfacing of Recreation Ground Road.
Tenterden Garden Centre – plants galore, and all the tools and accessories you need to grow them, show them off and the furniture to sit and admire them.
Car Parks in Tenterden. Choose from long term, short term, central, flexible parking options.
Tenterden Folk Festival – our annual folk festival at the end of September/beginning of October, a four day event with folk songs, music, dance, crafts and traditions.
Food & Drink: Casual, formal, street food, cafes, pubs, restaurants, takeaways, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Tapas, pub grub, fine dining, coffee shops, bakeries, local food, you’ve never more than a couple of steps from somewhere to eat in Tenterden. We've got it all.
Hoof & Hook Tenterden’s newest restaurant and bar!
Webbs – everyone loves Webbs, the Kitchen & Home shop, the Ironmongery shop, the Garden Machinery repair shop, locksmiths.