Month: September 2015

Net Gains

Posted on September 8, 2015

Net Gains

Almost 80 per cent of Brits now use the internet to research their holidays.

Almost 80 per cent of Brits now use the internet to research their holidays.

Revolutionising the way that we live, work, shop, and communicate, startling figures from the National Office of Statistics revealed that 38 million adults in the UK accessed the internet every day in 2014. What’s more, 74 per cent of people bought goods or services online, up from 53 per cent in 2008.

The tourism industry is continuing to evolve around technology, with increasing access to information and services available at the customers’ finger tips. Guests now expect to see clear and representative images of accommodation and resort facilities online before they book. They want to read reviews, share other people’s experiences of the resort so they can decide whether or not it meets with their needs. And they expect to be able to do all this online, using whatever device they choose, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet PC, handheld computer or laptop.

“Users are booking when it’s convenient for them,” says Dawn Bee of website and business system provider Netguides. “Younger users don’t want to talk to anyone to book, it’s just not familiar behaviour for them anymore so they feel uncomfortable doing it. This means you are missing out on a lot of customers if you don’t take online bookings.”

Niall Norris of management and booking software CampManager concurs: “The number of holiday parks and campsites taking bookings online has increased dramatically in recent years,”

“We can see similar trends from all our clients across the UK, Ireland and France, that the proportion of bookings being made online is now averaging between 50 to 75 per cent of all bookings.”

The number of holiday parks and campsites taking bookings online has increased dramatically in recent years. Pic: CampManager.

The number of holiday parks and campsites taking bookings online has increased dramatically in recent years. Pic: CampManager.

Keeping up-to-date with the latest technology by moving to a computerised booking and management system may seem daunting, but Niall stresses the importance of moving with the times: “The right booking and management system will actually save you money, generate more business and free up so much of your time.

“We recommend that all parks to update their online booking pages and websites to be Mobile and Tablet compatible. We see clear trends that over 50 per cent of online bookings are now being made on Tablet and Smartphone devices.” He adds: “To ensure that you are catering for these customers and not losing out on bookings, it is important to address this immediately.”

CampManager offers a complete end to end process for managing a caravan park or campsite. Covering all aspects of site management, booking management and online booking, the system is user-friendly and can be tailored to suit the individual needs of each park.

“It is important to remember that not all visitors to your website have stayed at your park before. Therefore it is hugely important that your website is maintained as much as the park,” advises Niall. “An old and tired looking website, with poor quality photos will not attract new customers. Also a poor booking system that takes a long time just to check availability and does not provide alternative dates will frustrate your customers and potentially drive them elsewhere.”

The biggest change to online bookings that Dawn Bee of Netguides has seen in recent years is the move to mobile responsive online booking. Dawn explains: “There has been a surge in the popularity of mobile responsive bookings following Google’s emphasis in their search algorithm for mobile search and the growing use of mobile devices to book online.”

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High Demand for Last Minute Breaks

Posted on September 2, 2015
Woolacombe

Last minute online enquiries for peak season were up by 15 per cent at Woolacombe Bay, compared to the same time last year.

High Demand for Last Minute Breaks

Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks in Devon reported a bumper start to the 2015 summer season, with last minute online bookings up by 15 per cent on the same period last year.

Although 93 per cent of the park’s accommodation for the first three weeks of the school summer holidays was booked up well in advance, demand was high for the remaining spaces available for last minute bookings.

Kevin Darvill, sales and marketing director at Woolacombe Bay said: “Clearly the travel disruption at the ports in Dover and Calais, coupled with the economic situation in destinations such as Greece, have all been deciding factors to remain at home.

“Last-minute on-line enquiries for peak season - compared to the same time last year - are up by 15 per cent, on-line sales have risen by 28 per cent and conversion rates have increased by 11 per cent.”

 

Bellamy Praises Community Spirit

Posted on September 2, 2015

Bellamy Praises Community Spirit

Fern

Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park in Padstow, Cornwall, gives away a week’s holiday to a needy family for every hundred bookings the park takes.

Hundreds of holiday and residential parks which reach out to their local communities will be put under the spotlight in this year’s David Bellamy Conservation Awards.

Scheme organiser Rufus Bellamy says that this year he is keen to celebrate parks acting as ‘good neighbours’. He reports that a whole raft of initiatives are now making a very real difference to many peoples’ lives around the country.

“The David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme does, of course, put a major emphasis on how parks work to protect their natural environment,” said Rufus.

“However, the scheme also highlights those which engage with their local community because this, in our view, demonstrates that the park is taking a holistic view of its business.

“This year, our assessors have uncovered many fantastic new initiatives which we’ll be using to underline just how many ways there are for parks to reach out,” said Rufus.

The names of the 500-plus parks expected to receive David Bellamy Conservation Awards this year at gold, silver and bronze levels will be announced this month.

Lincolnshire Parks Get Tough On Crime

Posted on September 2, 2015

Lincolnshire Parks Get Tough On Crime

Members of the Caravan Park Watch Scheme at Park Resorts’ Southview Leisure Park in Skegness.

Members of the Caravan Park Watch Scheme at Park Resorts’ Southview Leisure Park in Skegness.

Holiday parks in Lincolnshire have seen a 45 per cent drop in crime levels, thanks to a successful crime prevention scheme in the county.

A partnership between Lincolnshire police, local holiday parks and other stakeholders, the Caravan Park Watch initiative has gone from strength to strength since it was started in 2014 and now has in excess of 50 member parks.

Members of the Caravan Park Watch scheme and the National Caravan Council (NCC)recently met with Boston and Skegness MP, Matt Warman, to brief him on its success in the area.

MP Matt Warman said: “The Lincolnshire Caravan Park Watch scheme is leading the way when it comes to preventing crime and sharing resources and ideas across the sector.

“The huge reduction in crime to date is testament to all the hard work that has been put into developing this important partnership.”