Covid

THE PET POUND

Posted on May 17, 2024

Longstanding Hoseasons partner Hemsby Beach Holiday Park has always been pet-friendly, but owners Richardsons Leisure Limited started to understand the real value of investing in the pet pound in 2018. It was at that point that Chief Executive, Greg Munford, took the conscious decision to increase the number of pet-friendly units at the park from 24 to 44.

Since then and boosted by significant increase in pet ownership during Covid, Hemsby Beach has steadily increased its pet-friendly offering, so that today a total of 116, or 31%, of the park’s 391 luxury holiday homes and lodges welcome guests’ four-legged friends. But it’s not just the number of pet-friendly units that have increased - the quality of those units has markedly improved too, so much so that they are now some of the best the park has to offer, with nearly half featuring a hot tub.

GIVING PEOPLE the chance to be with their pets on holiday obviously comes with a financial benefit.

BOOKINGS UPLIFT
It’s not a surprising strategy when you consider recent Hoseasons stats showing that owners who take a pet see an average 46% uplift in booking volume vs locations that don’t accept a pet. But Greg says gone are the days when pet-friendly meant sectioning off a few shabby chalets on one corner of the park and expecting people to embrace the experience.

“Our purpose is to create an environment where customers can holiday with family and friends and create memories that last a lifetime. For an increasing number of people that means having their pets with them, and that shouldn’t mean having to compromise on the quality of their holiday experience – quite the opposite in fact, which is why we’ve made the changes and investments we have and why we take our approach to looking after pets and their owners so seriously.”

One example of this is the £10k Richardsons Leisure recently spent on decking gates for its pet-friendly lodges and luxury holiday homes – something that was requested by pet owners keen to maximise security for their pets and in turn enhance their own holiday experience. The park also provides dog-friendly areas in its restaurant and entertainment venues and shares information with guests about the best dog walks in the area, as well as a list of useful contacts including local vets, pet shops and other services.

RICHARDSONS LEISURE recently spent £10k on decking gates for its pet-friendly lodges.

PAYING DIVIDENDS
It’s an approach that is clearly paying dividends in terms of bookings, with Hoseasons data showing that the park saw a 24% increase in pet bookings last year compared to the year before, and a massive 106% increase compared to 2 0 1 9. Greg says being pet-friendly also leads to wider benefits for the park beyond the bottom line.

“Giving people the chance to be with their pets on holiday obviously comes with a financial benefit, but it also really adds to the happy, relaxed atmosphere on park too.” Hemsby Beach Holiday Park is part of Hoseasons’ Go Active Breaks+ Collection and sits just 350 yards from the golden sands and rolling dunes of Hemsby Beach. Greg says the national market insight he gets from his long partnership with the brand has been invaluable in making investment choices.

“Obviously Hoseasons provide us a good number of bookings, but the true added value comes from their sector expertise and commercial acumen, both of which make all the difference when considering large-scale investment in specific accommodation types and the right accommodation mix,” says Greg. “The scale they operate at means their data is second to none when it comes to spotting trends and advising owners accordingly.”

GREG MUNFORD, TOOK the conscious decision to increase the number of pet-friendly units at the park from 24 to 44

HOLIDAYS ON A SHOESTRING

Posted on May 15, 2024

Latest consumer spending figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal UK households spent over £175.4bn on hotels and restaurants in 2023, as the holiday industry rebounded from Covid. The figures reveal a rise of almost 6% on 2022’s spend of £165.7bn.

Brits also splashed £21.8bn on UK-based tourist activities, up from £16.7bn in 2022. It wasn’t only hotels that benefitted from last year’s ‘staycation’ bug. Last year, they also spent £38.3bn on holiday accommodation, such as holiday lets. That was up 6.7% from 2022’s £35.9bn.

While these record figures eclipse even the peak pre-Covid year of 2019, and are encouraging results for Britain’s tourist trade, the sharp rise in spending is also causing some concern. “It’s really great to see Britain’s hard- pressed hotel and tourism industries bounce back from the horrific impact of Covid,” says Lily Smith, a travel expert from the specialist accommodation finder UniversityRooms.

“The amount Brits spent on UK hotels and restaurants plummeted from a height of £144bn in pre-Covid 2019 to £88bn in 2020 – a collapse of nearly 40% – so damaging was the impact of the virus. “Similarly, spending on other accommodation fell from £31.9bn in 2019 to £15.4bn in 2020 as Covid took a grip.”

Looking at these ONS figures, it’s little wonder that many Brits, who want to enjoy seeing new parts of their own country, are now thinking twice. Some Brits clearly feel overseas holidays already represent better value than holidaying in the UK. “We spent £77.9bn on foreign holidays last year, another new record and up significantly from £66.8bn in 2022,” says Lily.

“Clearly, Brits on a budget need to think beyond traditional hotels and holiday accommodation to visit some of our most popular holiday spots. That’s why an increasing number of us are planning to stay in vacant university rooms for our next holiday. “That’s a clever call, as many universities offer rooms that are great value, centrally located and are still readily available to book for the peak summer season.

Best of all, you can stay in them even if you are not a student. Some universities are a destination in their own right. It’s possible to stay in rooms in historic locations such as Oriel and Magdalen colleges in Oxford. Similarly, you can have rooms dating back centuries in Corpus Christi or have breakfast or brunch in the dramatic Gothic dining Hall at Kings in Cambridge. A night’s stay in Magdalen college can cost as little as £55, dependent on date.

WINTER BLUES FOR PONTINS CLOSURES

Posted on March 5, 2024

WINTER BLUES FOR PONTINS CLOSURES

CAMBER SANDS WAS one of three Pontin’s resorts to close this winter. Pic. cheekylorns

Following recent closures there are now just two parks left in the Pontins brand, Pakefield Holiday Village in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and Sandbay Holiday Village in Kewstoke, Somerset. No public explanation was given by Pontins, or its owner Britannia Hotels, at the time, but employees were allegedly told via email the closure was due to a ‘decline in business’, according to multiple media reports.

No longer visible, The Sun reported a website statement that read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of Pontins Southport Holiday Park. “After assessing the future viability of the park, we have come to the difficult decision to close our doors.

“Unfortunately, this means that Pontins Southport Holiday Park will be closing from Wednesday 3rd January 2024. Extracts from e-mails addressed to employees and shown to local newspapers read: “Due to business levels, Pontins Prestatyn Sands will be closing with immediate effect.

“The company have been reviewing the business levels of the park throughout the 2023 season and have concluded that continuing trading at this park in to 2024 is no longer a viable business decision. “Therefore, it is for that reason that the company have made the difficult decision to implement proposed redundancies at Prestatyn Sands.”

Some members of staff had their employment terminated with immediate effect, while others were instructed to continue working at the park until further notice. The e-mail to employees added: “The hospitality industry all suffered a dramatic downturn during COVID.

“The company continues to review the business levels for the park, and since COVID, this park has not been able to return to reasonable business levels. “Current projections are that the park will make a financial loss in the 2024 season and beyond. “The company are looking to close the holiday park to the public for the foreseeable future.”

There has been frenzied speculation on how the vast sites will be used going forward including claims, denied by the Home Office, that accommodation would be used for refugees. Britannia Hotels were approached for comment but no response was received.

A WORLD OF HOLIDAY PARK IDEAS

Posted on August 2, 2022

A WORLD OF HOLIDAY PARK IDEAS

THE ELITE DYNAMICS team were focused on holiday park business at the recent WOPLH show.

 

Holiday Park Scene magazine was delighted to be involved with this year’s World of Park & Leisure Homes Show, that took place at Stoneleigh Park, near Coventry, earlier this summer. After a two-year break, due to COVID, holiday park suppliers enthusiastically raised awareness on a range of essential products and services.

They included several options for hot tubs in holiday settings, the chance to speak to the Compass Insurance team and the opportunity to catch up with the latest technology available through Elite Dynamics. An impressive display of about 40 leisure lodges, log cabins and park homes, from some of the leading UK manufacturers, gave visitors plenty of scope to explore an insight into the latest trends on the market.

 

PATHFINDER HOMES was among multiple holiday accommodation exhibitors at the show

 

Offering free parking and free entrance, the WOPLH show will return to Stoneleigh in 2023 – so save the dates of June 8 – for the Trade Preview Day and June 9 – 11th when the show will be open to the public.

World Of Park & Leisure Homes Show
Tel. 01789 491451
www.parkhomeandleisure.co.uk

ON THE MENU

Posted on February 16, 2022

ON THE MENU

Common sense options for your on-site food servings…

 

KEEP THE CUSTOMERS happy with a wealth of catering options to suit all tastes.

 

According to a YouGov survey of Britain’s most popular dishes, roast chicken just overtook fish and chips at the top of the taste bud pops.
For the record, both share 85 per cent of the adult popularity vote, with the all-day English breakfast hot on their heels at 83 per cent.
In an ever-changing world, it is good to know some of the old traditions still have staying power.
But ignore the march of not just new eating habits but preferred ordering techniques at your peril. It is no good sitting back and watching your residents receive their Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats deliveries bypassing your on-site restaurant and take away options.

If Covid taught us anything it was to be flexible with our hospitality business and to embrace new ways of creating business. That means reaching for the clouds with an assortment of your own bespoke APPs to boost business including holiday cabin deliveries.
Personally, while juggling the grandchildren and their bingo cards, I loved ordering my holiday park drinks from my table via an APP only to have them arrive at the table within minutes.
Statistics provides the power to make knowledgeable decisions about our on-site catering. In another survey, OpenTable found that the average British person spends over £4k on dining out each year – that’s a quarter of some people’s annual income.

 

HAVEN HAS LAUNCHED its own Academy to train chefs for its 40 plus holiday locations.

 

EATING OUT
The study also revealed that Brits eat out 1.5 times on average per week and spend about £53 per meal. We are now seeing the evolution of industry trends, fuelled by the population’s growing appetite for eating out.
Increasingly, all-day eating is becoming the norm. Set meal times are a thing of the past – people want to be able to grab a bite to eat at any time of the day in a casual and informal environment.
Why limit yourself to just on-site customers when you can build a reputation and extend your reach throughout your geographic area. South West Holiday Parks teamed up with an award-winning Devon restaurant business as part of an overhaul of its leisure facilities at Coast View Park. The new ODE&Co restaurant welcomes park guests as well as the general public.
Visitors to the 120-seat venue can enjoy sour dough pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven from an open kitchen and prepared with impeccably sourced ingredients including organic flour and 100% buffalo mozzarella from Laverstock farm in Hampshire.
ODE&Co also takes advantage of the fresh seafood available on its doorstep, serving local catch, crab, lobster and grills. Locally sourced beverages include craft ales from Two Beach Brewing Co, organic and bio dynamic wines, local ciders on draft and soft drinks.
The restaurant has panoramic views of South Devon coast from the newly created inside and outside seating areas. The restaurant will also offer take away and delivery services using electric vehicles.
Catering to a wide range of budgets and tastes can create challenges for operators – particularly when you’re looking after diverse needs and expectations on the same site, from campers in tents to guests in luxury holiday lodges.
It’s an issue they recognise at the award-winning Tyddyn Isaf Camping and Caravan Park in Dulas, Anglesey.
The Anglesey campsite has been owned and operated by the Hunt/Mount family for 45 years. Long before a restaurant was created on site, however, food was still on offer, thanks to a very forward-thinking purchase of a pizza oven.

 

SERVICE WITH A SMILE is always appreciated. Pic. Golden Sands Holiday Park.

 

While guests can enjoy a casual meal in the restaurant, there are also options available for those who want to dine alfresco.
Thinking outside the box and a firm believer in supporting local businesses, Tyddyn Isaf partnered with The Great Orme Brewery to create their own range of four local ales and a craft lager.
Catering surely is a complicated business. Add to those complications the challenge of recruiting and retaining good staff and you will know that making money through on-site catering is not for the faint-hearted.
Hospitality and catering professionals met recently to discuss apprenticeships and their role in reducing the severe people and skills crisis in hospitality and catering. The common issues were recruitment and ensuring a path of continuous professional development.
Food prices have gone up at their fastest rate in nearly 30 years - but there is worse to come, experts have warned.
Soaring food costs and the energy bill crisis drove inflation to 5.4% in the 12 months to December, up from 5.1% the month before, in another blow to struggling families.
The last time inflation was higher was in March 1992, when it was 7.1%. And with gas and electricity costs set to rise further in the spring, analysts predict it will reach that level again.
As one of Britain’s leading family holiday companies Haven own and operate 40 award-winning family holiday parks throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Haven appear to be opting for do-it-yourself solutions, covering their catering bets with options for extreme ends of the food chain.
Holidaymakers heading to Lincolnshire’s coast could have another option for their meals with a number of jobs being advertised at a Burger King in a holiday park.
Numerous jobs are being advertised for roles at a restaurant in Mablethorpe - but the fast food chain is yet to confirm whether it will be being built.

 

ENSURE FIXTURES and furnishing suit your target market and menu offering. Pic. Hubbox

 

HOME GROWN
Haven is also introducing an opportunity for budding chefs to receive on-the-job skills and experience training as part of its new Haven Chef Academy.
This new training academy will provide fundamental learning experience for 200 specially selected trainees who will be inducted into an 18-month development programme with access to world class kitchen facilities, working alongside professional chefs as well as having a personal talent coach and mentor. Once initial training is completed, trainees will be placed at one of Haven’s coastal parks across the UK to embark upon priceless on-the-job training.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is eager to get into the food & beverage industry,” said Anne Blyth, Talent Director at Haven. “This carefully curated programme will be hugely beneficial to all those selected, giving applicants the tools they need to begin a fantastic career and get that essential on-the-job training which is very hard to come by these days”.
Successful applicants will start their time at Haven Chef Academy with an initial accelerated eight week learning programme that will provide them with a sound start into the industry with several tailored masterclasses and live demonstrations leading into an on-the-job learning structure. The selected trainees will be lucky enough to be earning whilst learning at one of the best places in the leisure industry – plus they will gain a professional industry recognised apprenticeship qualification through Haven’s training partner Lifetime.

 

TAKE A REGULAR STOCK CHECK of your restaurant offerings to ensure it is suiting your customers. Pic. Cofton Holidays.

 

“Emerging out of several lockdowns where the appetite for jobs have been slim, this is an immense opportunity for those who are struggling to get back into the hospitality industry,” said Joe Hurd, celebrity chef and Lifetime Ambassador. ”These opportunities are hard to find and as no prior experience is needed applications are open to all who are hungry to start their culinary career and gain from the expert tuition on offer.”
WITH millions of British holidaymakers heading for holiday parks in the UK this year, one of the major attractions for most visitors was that the cooking would be done for them. Catering is the vital ingredient of the holiday park business menu.
From high-class restaurants to family-friendly pizza cafes, the choice on offer at many locations is vast. Quality food and good surroundings are key to the restaurant enjoyment factor with staff service and excellent menus par for the course in these competitive times.

 

 

BELLS AND WHISTLES

Posted on October 28, 2021

BELLS AND WHISTLES

 

CLEAR SKY SAFARI TENTS sit majestically along a waterside location

 

Sue Hollingshead digs deep into the latest glamping trends…

As we come towards the end of the glamping summer season there can’t be any doubt that it has been a manic year for the sector.
We have seen new product introductions, new campsites, and a generally flurry of activity trying to keep up with the huge demand.
According to the GVR* market analysis report, the global glamping market is expected to grow at a rate of 14.1% (annually) from 2021 to 2028 with a net worth in the region of 3.92billion (GBP) by 2028.

 

THE AWARD-WINNING Melody Farm shepherd’s hut

 

Already valued at 1.7 billion (GBP) by the end of 2021, Europe’s share of the spoils was put at around a third -- 34.8% in 2019.
Sacha Macey, Owner of Yurts For Life, was very clear about the trend: “Glamping has exploded this year! “Gone are the days of the ‘bubble will burst, this is a fad…’ which was the mantra within the industry a few years ago,” Sacha believes.
“External factors, way beyond industry control, such as Brexit and the COVID pandemic have certainly had a positive impact on the industry as holidays abroad have been very diffcult to plan and deal with over the last 18 months. The demand for holidaying ‘outside’ in the UK is unprecedented.”

 

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

The boom has generated the opportunity, and inspiration, for landowners and farmers to enter the market. With existing campsites, holiday parks, and glamping sites looking at ways of embellishing their developments to ensure they stay ahead. Simply adding one more glamping unit to an existing campsite has proved valuable and positive ROI.
There has been a surge of new pop-up campsites, which have been seen as both good and bad for the industry. As we know, the key aspect about glamping is that it focuses on ‘the experience’, something about the holiday must inspire the customer, either with a ‘WOW’ when they arrive and see their accommodation, or with the associated service, or to be fair a mix of both. A new quick pop-up campsite in many cases hasn’t had time to develop the full experience.
Mark Scott, CEO, Clear Sky Safari Tents, shared his thoughts: “I think the number of pop-up sites did rather detract from the quality of the glamping experience as people were advertising, say bell tents, with no services as a glamping experience.”

 

OUTSTANDING SAFARI Tents design and manufacture their own range of premium safari tents.

 

Mark continued: “It is expected that many of these will not ‘pop’ up again next season as bookings, reviews, and repeat rates will discourage the poor-quality sites and encourage the high-quality sites.”
Sacha also felt there was good and bad in the new pop-up sites and commented: “Some sites have managed to get it right straight away by keeping holidaymakers happy in the UK when they would have gone abroad.
We can’t do much about the weather, but if the details of the glamper’s experience are thought through and the appropriate facilities are available, then these pop-up sites have probably saved a lot of families after a tough time with the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, some sites have tarnished the industry as their main intention has been to make a fast buck.”

 

DESIGN INNOVATION

With the experience being paramount, there is always scope for innovation, whether this is within the design of the glamping accommodation, or within the overall holiday experience.
Tom Burnell, Managing Director of Kata Tipis, saw an opportunity in the market, as a slight side-track from their standard offering of Wedding Tipis. Tom explained more: “The technology is moving on at a pace with new innovations and different structures being released into the UK Glamping Market to meet the ever- increasing demand for more exciting and interesting experiences for the increasing volume of guests,” said Tom.

 

DREAMY RELAXING interiors for the dream experience, by Yurts For Life

 

“At Kata Tipis we wanted to transfer the scale and awe of our events tents and designed a glamping tipi that took people’s breath away. We believe that glamping should be an experience, not just in the view, or where a structure is sited, but the structure itself!
“We launched our new glamping tipi, which is unlike any structure on the market and in our opinion takes the traditional tipi design to the next level.”
Clear Sky has also identifed an innovative design they are working on, Mark was willing to share his plans: “There are several new directions that the industry is taking, all based around the enhancing of the glamping experience.
“In particular, we are seeing some great structures based around Stargazing in the black sky areas. We are currently working on a ‘Star Gazer Safari Tent’ with our designers, hopefully, ready for launch next season.”

 

QUIRKY OPTIONS

The experience it offers is paramount, whether staying in one of the quirky options available, such as converted planes, or one of the popular tree houses, traditional pods, stunning safari tents, yurts, tipis, shepherd huts, the list of unit types is continuingly growing.
The Glamper is naturally akin to outdoor living, with a secluded location, hot tub, or outdoor cooking, still ticking boxes. The one key aspect that has changed following the pandemic is the washing facilities. Mark explained, “Accommodations that were able to provide separate washing facilities were at an advantage when the market reopened. Many smaller sites with shared washing facilities fell victim to the ‘one wash area per household bubble’.

 

EXCLUSIVE SETTINGS couldn’t get better than this, by Yurts For Life

 

Those with the separate facility were well placed. We have seen an increase in enquiries from customers about putting bathrooms in their existing safari tents.”
The Staycation is here to stay. Bookings have been high for 2021, with most places reported as fully booked, and into next season. Clear Sky mentioned a Tik Tok video shared by one of their client’s guests, and shortly afterwards their bookings filled through to the end of next season!
On the flip side, Tom did have a few words of caution: “The concern is that UK Glamping site operators may overcharge for their accommodation this year and be seen to be ‘profiteering’ from the demand in the market.
“This, in turn, may frighten guests of for future bookings in the following years – not offering good value for money,” he added.

 

INSPIRED BY THE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE, Safari Tents are fast becoming one of the most popular forms of glamping accommodation. Pic: Boldscan

 

NEWBIE ADVICE

The best tips from Tom, Mark, and Sacha are, firstly ensure that you have all the required planning, processes, and licenses as per your own Local Authority before you start, which may take longer than you expect. Plan, Plan, Plan, and never underestimate the time it takes to organise everything, down to the water, sewage, electric, etc etc.
Understand what you are going to offer, go through the customer experience in detail and make sure it works. Stick with both your budget and your niche market, don’t be tempted to be everything to all people.
Then get your marketing in place, know who you are targeting, and create the destinations and accommodation to suit their needs. Good use of social media alongside collaborations with relevant local businesses work well.

 

IMAGE RELAXING in this environment, a luxurious experience, by Kata Tipis

 

Mark commented: “The best sites are the ones who have committed to the overall experience by offering contactless check-in, high-quality bedding and partnering with the main sales channels such as Hoseasons, Canopy and Stars, or Unique Hideaway. All aspects from booking calendars to easy check-in are important.”
If the stats from GVR* come to fruition then we are in for some busy years ahead, and with that, we will continue to see innovation, including eco holidays, which are clearly on the cards. Young families and couples wishing to connect with the great outdoors, the natural side of our planet, is a great starting point.
In the beginning, glamping accommodation was simply a glamping pod, it can now be almost anything. Innovation such as Clear Sky’s Star Gazer Safari Tent for next season, Kata Tipis beautiful new Tipi and the superb Yurts by Yurts For Life, are great examples. It certainly makes you wonder what we can expect over the coming years.

GVR
Grand View Research
www.grandviewresearch.com

Kata Tipis
Tel: 01780 239 188
www.katatipis.co.uk

Yurts For Life
Tel: 01803 762 370
www.yurtsforlife.com

Clear Sky Safari Tents
Tel: 0333 241 2660
www.clearskytents.co.uk

BIBLICAL CHALLENGES

Posted on May 5, 2021

BIBLICAL CHALLENGES

Insurance companies respond to unprecedented times...

It has been an unprecedented period for holiday park operators with challenges of biblical proportions as they faced floods, a global plague and a stop-start famine then feast on bookings. It is a period that has also challenged insurance cover suppliers to step up for their holiday park customers. Given the extraordinary circumstances of Covid, one of the hottest insurance topics has been Business Interruption (BI) cover. Long-awaited clarity about how BI claims should be handled came with the publication of the Supreme Court judgement on 15th January 2021. Not all customers will have the specific cover the test case referred to, which means that not all customers’ policies will be expected to cover Covid. The process of assessing BI claims is a complex one, and there are steps that need to be followed in order to submit a valid claim. Specialist insurers are working with the holiday trade who had the relevant policy coverage to confirm and assess their claims as quickly as they can. Champions of the Park Protect Scheme, David Moffat, Associate Director, of PIB Insurance Brokers says: “Unfortunately the pandemic has coincided with a significant hardening of the insurance market with insurance rates for certain types of insurance increasing markedly in recent months.

PARK PROTECT
“This often happens at a time of uncertainty as it usually comes with increases in claims and the insurance market reacts accordingly,” David explains. “Insurers have seen increasing claims costs, particularly from natural disasters but also due to an increasingly litigious society,” David continues. “As insurer profitability declines, they either decide to exit unprofitable markets or increase premiums.” Meanwhile, Leisuredays have been working hard, often behind the scenes: “We worked hard to educate caravan and lodge owners that their units remained at risk during lockdown using press releases, online content and through our advisers,” says Gareth Walker, Head of Leisuredays Development. “Covid, may have meant parks were closed for long periods but the winds still blow, rivers still flood, thieves still steal and pipes still freeze,” Gareth continues. “We calculate over 90% of claims could still occur even when units are unoccupied and parks closed, with storm and flood, fire, vermin damage and theft topping the list of claim types,” says Gareth. With parks’ income drying up overnight, it was clear that specialist insurance companies needed to do whatever we could as quickly as possible to help customers through the lockdown period. Compass were quick out of the blocks, developing a tailored product, Compass Essentials, which was offered to all holiday park businesses from May 2020. The product was designed to ensure all park customers, existing and new, could be offered a discount or refund of some sort. It largely worked on the premise that parks’ insurance needs changed, as a direct result of being closed to the public. For many, this meant liability covers could be reduced without putting the park business at risk. By further eliminating less critical covers such as frozen food cover and accidental damage, many parks were able to secure immediate premium refunds of up to 25%.

HOME OWNERS
Several Compass insured parks have experienced flooding in the past six months, and a few have been very badly affected. Over half of the claims that Compass handles relate to flood and storm. One of the biggest lockdown issues for holiday home owners has been their ability to comply with insurance policy conditions. Holiday caravan owners also need to think about their sums insured as pressures on the supply chain mean that the cost of replacing caravans is likely to increase sharply, if only for the next 12 – 18 months “Coronavirus has had a significant impact on the way in which holiday caravan and lodge manufacturers can operate,” Richard Walker, of Compass points out. “Coupled with supply chain issues, this has resulted in fewer units being produced at a time when staycation bookings and new caravan/ lodge sales have boomed. “The high demand for the units that are available could potentially impact any total losses experienced by parks and their customers in the next year or so. “The fact that the dearth in available units is driving up prices may also be relevant, as will the increased costs of many of the materials used in caravan/ lodge construction,” Paula adds. Once parks re-opened, Leisuredays say they dealt with a record number of insurance enquiries as parks enjoyed healthy sales of new units.

RECORD NUMBERS

“For those suffering temporary financial difficulty as a result of Covid, we were able to defer payments or waive cancellation charges,” says Gareth. “If a customer asked to cancel their policy but was intending to keep their unit uninsured, we would do everything possible to keep them insured because the last thing they needed on top of everything else was an uncovered bill for a caravan repair or replacement. The closing of parks at the end of October also brought difficulties for customers to drain down their units for winter in line with insurance policy terms. “We were able to offer flexibility for customers to arrange for their parks to drain down within an extended timeframe yet maintain full cover until this was completed,” he adds. Leisuredays set about making it even easier for park customers by offering a new online renewal portal so they could renew 24/7. Gareth explains: “To ease any stress, we provided an up to 10% uplift to policy sum insured at no charge. “This was beneficial to customers on a new for old policy who have to insure at the price of a brand-new equivalent unit.” In effect, the Leisuredays approach meant the customer could renew and be sure their caravan would be fully replaced with a new one on the park – it also reassured the parks that the customer would have sufficient funds to replace their unit via them.

SUFFICIENT FUNDS
“If anything, our way of working with parks has worked extremely well during the pandemic,” Gareth emphasises. “Because our parks work with us as Introducer Appointed Representatives they effectively introduce the customer to us for us to quote, then setup and administrate policies. “When parks re-opened in July 2020, many parks were keen to maximise sales so they bundled our free insurance offer with new units as a deal sweetener. “This proved extremely popular for new owners who wanted everything to be provided as part of the purchase package.” Gareth believes Covid has made self- administration of customer insurance even less attractive for holiday park operators. “We’re even more confident the route of introducing to a specialist like ourselves delivers better results,” says Gareth. “Letting a specialist such as Leisuredays do the insurance admin lets them concentrate on their core business. Gareth adds: “We firmly believe they’re in for a bumper season of demand for holiday caravan sales and holidays so they need to make hay whilst the sun shines in that regard – why let insurance get in the way?”

COMPANY CONTACTS

Compass Insurance
Tel. 0344 274 0276
enquiries@compass.co.uk
www.compassparks.co.uk

Leisuredays Insurance
Tel. 01422 396 693
parkoperator@leisuredays.co.uk
www.leisuredays.co.uk

PIB Insurance Brokers
Tel. 01422 358 525
david.moffat@pib-insurance.com
www.pib-insurance.com/business/hospitality/caravan-and-holiday-park-insurance