North East Grows As Leisure Destination

Posted on December 15, 2015

North East Grows As Leisure Destination

This year is likely to be a record-breaking year for people taking holidays in North East England. Pic: VisitEngland/Rod Edwards.

Caravan and camping parks in Northumbria say it is likely to be a record-breaking year for people taking holidays in North East England. Many of the 53 park businesses in the region – representing over 4,000 pitches in total – report bookings at their highest level for at least a decade. They say official figures showing that Northumbria parks currently generate around £27 million of visitor spending every year may now have to be revised upwards. Matthew Muckle of Coquetdale Holiday Park who is Northumbria branch secretary of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association, said that the revenue created by NE parks provides a life-line for many other enterprises in the region. “Virtually every penny of the £27 million which our parks generate benefits Northumbrian tourism dependent businesses,” he said. “Many of our members are now quietly optimistic that this year will see a rise in the present figure, not least because of the growing appeal of Northumbria for family holidays,” he added.

Winter Wonderlands

Posted on November 18, 2015

Winter Wonderlands

Park owners are feeling optimistic about the winter months ahead and are gearing up for busy festive period.

Long gone are the days when the end of the summer signalled a sharp decline in holiday park visitor bookings. Autumn now sees only a minor let-up in the volume of touring guests and holiday home owners, and even the winter months can generate a satisfying hum of activity at parks across the country. Having reaped the rewards of a bumper summer season, park owners are feeling optimistic about the winter months ahead and are gearing up for busy festive period. “Holiday homes and touring units are now much better equipped for four-season use, both in terms of insulation and heating. But what we’re also seeing, I think, is that people no longer regard holidays as something you have to plan for months in advance,” says Henry Wild, director of Skelwith Fold Caravan Park in Cumbria. “There’s a much greater spontaneity to decision-making, perhaps due in part to the way in which the internet and social media are making things happen in the here and now. “If you want to buy a product on-line or communicate via Twitter, for example, it happens almost instantly – so why wait if the idea of a short break suddenly appeals?” Henry continues: “Another motivator for out-of-season bookings, I believe, is that people no longer go away just to relax by slowing their lives down. Both younger families and older folk want to inject an element of activity into their stay, so there’s less reason to limit holidays to the times when the sun is most likely to shine.” Henry, who is also National Chairman of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association, says that many holiday home owners enjoy planning their autumn and winter visits to coincide with stays by others they have come to know on the park. “I think a lot of couples and families value greatly the friendships they have struck up with other owners, and perhaps feel there’s a greater community spirit here among people of a similar age and outlook than they experience back home,” he says.

TAILORED BREAKS

Winter is one of the busiest times of the year at Potters in Norfolk.

Autumn and winter are strong times of the year for Potters Resort in Norfolk when the park has over 700 guests staying there at any one time. Its range of midweek, family, weekend and one night special breaks are all popular during the season and are enhanced by the park’s comprehensive entertainment and activity programme. “We’re open all year round and our prices are kept in line all year round, so a break in November, December and January is pretty much the same price as you’d pay in the spring or summer,” comments managing director John Potter. “We offer midweek breaks for more mature adults featuring tailored activities such as bowls, family breaks featuring family friendly activities and entertainment and weekend with friend and one night special breaks for adults wanting to enjoy their weekend and enjoy great nights out with fantastic entertainment.” A highlight of Potters’ entertainment offering this year is the annual Christmas Spectacular ‘The Great Christmas Songbook’, performed by Potters Theatre Company. The show will take guests on a Sleigh Ride of classic hits, showcasing decades of music from 50s classics such as Frosty The Snowman and Let it Snow, to eighties favourites Merry Christmas Everyone and Last Christmas. During the season, the resort will be decked with Christmas trees and lights and guests will be greeted on arrival with a mince pie and glass of mulled wine. There will also be reindeer visiting on Christmas Eve and fireworks and a traditional countdown to 2016 on the New Year break.

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Memory Makers

Posted on July 2, 2015

Memory Makers

Above: Holidaymakers are now more than ever regarding their break as a chance to enjoy a new experience. Pic: Park Resorts

Holiday park operators remain cautiously optimistic as Ashleigh Mackenzie reports… Above: Holidaymakers are now more than ever regarding their break as a chance to enjoy a new experience. Pic: Park Resorts

2014 was a strong year for UK tourism. Not only did we see record breaking numbers of holidaymakers from abroad visit the country, but tourist spending hit the dizzy heights of £21.7 billion – three per cent up on 2013 and a record in both nominal and real terms.
Building on the success of last year’s tourism boom, the industry has enjoyed a solid start to 2015, but holiday park operators remain cautiously optimistic.
Latest figures from the International Passenger Survey show that overall visitor numbers for the first three months of this year were up by one per cent compared to 2014, while UK-based holidays have seen an increase of four per cent.

ABOVE: Britain’s holiday parks industry, comprising more than 3500 parks in total, plays an important role in the country’s economy. Pic: National Caravan Council

“The industry in general is reporting steady performance across all business fronts and is optimistic about future prospects in the short to medium term,” says Bob Hill, sites director at The Camping and Caravanning Club.
“There is growth across most aspects of the sector and the majority of operators are reporting an increase in consumer confidence.” “These are very positive times for the holiday park industry,” comments Dan Steadman, sales and marketing director of Hoburne Holiday Parks, that operates seven holiday park sites.
“At Hoburne we have seen booking figures increase every year since 2008 and manufacturers are seeing increases in the numbers of holiday homes built and sold. This is an area we have seen particular growth in with holiday home sales across our seven parks more than doubling in the past year.” “It is shaping up to be a good season for us,” agrees Cathie Higgs of John Fowler Holiday Parks, like Hoburne with parks centred around the south west of England. “We are up on 2014 figures in terms of sales and growth and the reduction of petrol prices has certainly had a positive effect on our business.”

VITAL ROLE
Britain’s holiday parks industry, comprising more than 3500 parks in total, plays an important role in the country’s economy.
The sector provides one in six of all holiday bed-nights in Britain each year and generates a huge £2.26 billion annual turnover - with the vast majority of the cash being funnelled by park visitors into local businesses.

Above: Henry Wild, national chairman of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) says that frequent shorter breaks is the
continuing pattern of holiday-taking

For many such local enterprises, tourism is crucial for their survival and ability to sustain jobs. Parks are estimated to provide some fifteen percent – a total of 53,000 - of all full-time and seasonal tourism-dependent jobs in Britain.
The majority, some 95 percent of UK parks are family-owned businesses, some with farming histories stretching back over generations and for which tourism is now a much more realistic alternative to the declining agricultural industry. The sector also comprises a number of extremely successful holiday park groups including Haven Holidays, Park Resorts and Park Holidays UK.
“While it has been a strong start to the year, there is no complacency among BH&HPA; members and nobody assumes that the main factors which influence our sector and UK tourism as a whole – principally the economy and the weather – are always going to take our side,” says Henry Wild, national chairman of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA;).
STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY
It should be remembered that the term ‘the industry’ pulls together a diverse range of businesses from small farm-based parks with a handful of touring pitches to major multi-park operators with incomes dependent on holiday homes sales and rentals. Some of these parks may be affected by factors to which others are immune. For example, a touring park in a remote part of the country may see rising car fuel costs as its chief enemy – while parks with holiday homes to buy might find that lending restrictions by banks are putting a ceiling on the number of people able to take out personal loans to fund their second home purchase.
“It’s important to use both experience and common sense to try and determine what changes are likely to be in the park’s long-term interests, and which are unlikely to have any lasting impact,” says Henry.

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CONTRIBUTING COMPANY CONTACTS

BUTLINS Tel. 01442 230300 www.butlins.com

BRITISH HOLIDAY AND HOME PARKS ASSOCIATION Tel. 01452 526911 www.bhhpa.org.uk

THE CAMPING AND CARAVANNING CLUB Tel. 024 7647 5448 www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk

HAVEN Tel. 08712 301900 www.haven.com

HOBURNE HOLIDAY PARKS Tel. 01425 277661 www.haven.com

JOHN FOWLER HOLIDAYS Tel .01271 866766 www.johnfowlerholidays.com

PARK HOLIDAYS UK Tel. 01424 751185 www.parkholidays.com

PARK RESORTS Tel. 01442 414100 www.park-resorts.com

Old Oaks Pamper Pooches

Posted on June 26, 2015

Old Oaks Pamper Pooches

A range of dog-friendly initiatives have been implemented at Old Oaks Touring Park near Glastonbury.

It’s famous the world over for its music festival – but now Glastonbury is also hitting the right note for dog lovers, thanks to the Old Oaks Touring Park.

The award-winning camping and caravan site is putting pooches on a pedestal by providing them and their owners with a range of dog-friendly facilities.

A hot water doggy shower has installed at the park as well as a dedicated washing machine and tumble dryer for laundering pet bedding. A large securely-fenced exercise area has been sectioned off specifically for dog walking and the park has compiled a list of dog-friendly discovery walks, restaurants and local attractions. But, of course, not all establishments relish Rovers – so the Old Oaks has teamed up with a local dog walking business which will take the lead when owners wish to venture out alone.

James and Tara White are the husband-and-wife management team at the Old Oaks Touring Park which has been in the same family’s ownership for over 30 years.

New Park Guests Create a Buzz

Posted on June 26, 2015

New Park Guests Create a Buzz

Drovers Way Holiday Caravan Park took delivery of two hives for up to 100,000 honey bees this summer.

The family owners of a Tees Valley holiday park are welcoming thousands of extra guests this year – each of which will be accommodated and fed for free.

Drovers Way Holiday Caravan Park near Stockton-on-Tees is now a safe haven for honey bees which have been dropping dramatically in number over recent years. Park owners Chris and Helen Brown took delivery in April of two hives which will become the homes for up to 100,000 honey bees this summer.

Their thriving future at Drovers Way is almost a certainty thanks to the large number of high nectar-bearing blooms on the ten acres of grounds.

The park’s initiative follows news that it has been named as a 2015 winner of the prestigious David Bellamy Conservation Award for protecting the natural world.

A Welcome Upgrade In Online Booking

Posted on November 4, 2014

The new Welcome Anywhere booking system allows holiday park owners to reclaim their park’s allocations, without high commissions charges.

A Welcome Upgrade In Online Booking

As a supplier, it’s not often that you attend to a trade show with an unfinished product. But that’s exactly what Welcome Computer Systems did at this year’s Lawns Show, armed with their work in progress product – Welcome Anywhere for holiday parks.

For over thirty years the company has built web-based computer systems and their latest online booking system is designed specifically for the holiday park sector.

Welcome sales director Mark Ellis, explains: “Our desire to enter a brand new sector brought us to the Lawns Show and presented us with an exciting opportunity to speak face-to-face with holiday park operators. We wanted to find out why other providers have seemingly struggled to make a significant mark in the industry and just what was expected from such a system.”

Due for release at the end of the year, the new Welcome Anywhere system allows holiday park owners to reclaim their park’s allocations and make the most of selling holidays directly to guests, therefore avoiding high commission charges and offering a fully-transparent booking service.

Mark adds: “While we have always specialised in booking software for hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs, we recognise that the parks industry is vastly under-served when it comes to online booking systems which can provide a tangible return on investment.

“Having recently become fully-accredited members of the BH&HPA, we’re relishing the opportunity to bring our hotel booking software experience into this vibrant and much-loved industry.”

Destructive Winter Storms

Posted on March 7, 2014

Carmathen Bay Holiday Village in South Wales was battered by storm and flood. Pic: Rebecca Evans AM.

Destructive Winter Storms

With Wales and the South West hardest hit, holiday parks have been left counting the cost of the wettest winter since records began.

According to the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH & HPA), hundreds of its 2,000-plus park members suffered damage during the month-long onslaught from the weather. Few sites escaped completely unscathed from the violent storms in addition to sea and river flooding.

Among those affected, 70 static chalets were flooded at the Carmarthen Bay Holiday Village in South Wales, and 20 residents were rescued from Bablockhythe caravan site in Oxfordshire, following the River Thames bursting its banks in February.

However, thanks to the fast action taken by many holiday parks and their insurers following the destructive storms of winter, it’s likely to be business as usual for the majority of the industry this spring. “It is a credit to the prescience and resilience of the industry that preparations for the winter months protected so many park assets,” said a spokesperson for the BH & HPA said.

“Where there was damage, many were able to stage a very rapid recovery from the weather’s attack.” Repair and restoration work was often underway within days of parks being hit, helped by insurance loss adjusters who frequently attended within hours of receiving emergency calls.

The spokesperson added: “The total bill for putting the UK parks industry back together after the freak storms has not yet been assessed, but will certainly run to millions of pounds. However, the cost is unlikely to impact on what families will pay this year or in the future for their holidays, or for buying a holiday home.”