Holiday Makers

Record Breaking Year For Uk Tourism

Posted on November 28, 2014
record

There were more visits to the UK during January-June period than ever before.

Record Breaking Year For UK Tourism

Business has been officially booming for UK tourism this year, after record numbers of tourists visited the country from January to June.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics figures reveal that there were 16.4 million inbound visits to Britain in the first half of 2014, setting a new record for this time period and an increase of eight per cent compared to the first half of 2013.

Holiday visits also performed well, and accounted for 44 per cent of visits in June, setting yet another monthly record of 1.4 million holiday visits - the fifth monthly record for holiday visits set so far this year.

David Edwards, head of research and forecasting at VisitBritain commented: “Tourism is an essential part of the wider success of our economy and these first six months have set us up for what could be another record year for inbound tourism.

“It’s also hugely positive to see growth both from our high volume European markets and also emerging markets across Asia and Latin America.”

Triple Success For West Midlands Park

Posted on November 24, 2014
triple

Graham and Tracy Leggat are celebrating a trio of awards at the Borders Hideaway Holiday Home Park.

Triple Success For West Midlands Park

Borders Hideaway Holiday Home Park in Herefordshire is celebrating two national gold awards this autumn – plus a gong for its first-class loos.

Run by husband and wife team Graham and Tracy Leggat, the park is among just ten out of more than 2,000 caravan and camping parks in the UK to be awarded the prestigious Five Star Gold award given out by VisitEngland to its highest rated parks. Its second glittering prize was a David Bellamy Conservation Award, presented to Borders Hideaway by the world-famous conservationist at its top gold level. The accolade recognises exceptional achievements by tourism businesses to protect and enhance the natural environment, and to encourage indigenous flora and fauna.

According to Professor Bellamy, park managers Tracy and Graham Leggat have created a “wildlife wonderland” with a range of inspired initiatives. Completing the hat trick of honours for Borders Hideaway this year has been its gaining of a 2014 Loo of the Year award for the high quality standards of its washrooms.

Tracy Leggat said that everyone at the park was thrilled at news of the awards, including its conservation accolade: “Although many of our guests do come here to enjoy a traditional family holiday, we can also offer a wonderful environment to explore and make wildlife discoveries,” said Tracy.

“It’s a real privilege to live and work in this beautiful part of Herefordshire, and it’s great to be able to help preserve its very special character with the support of someone like David Bellamy. “I also hope that the national spotlight thrown on Borders Hideaway will benefit other tourism businesses by showing what a wonderful place this region is for a holiday,” added Tracy.

Tax Gains For Holiday Park Owners

Posted on November 24, 2014
tax

OPDS is a new division of the Omar Group, which aims to support the market by advising on all aspects of park development and operations.

Tax Gains For Holiday Park Owners

Park owners could be claiming significant tax rebates according to the experts at Omar Park Development Services (OPDS).

The new division of the Omar Group was set up to help new and existing park owners in all aspects of park development and operations. Now in partnership with RD Tax Solutions, park owners can also benefit from expertise in the minefield that is capital allowances, with the average claim being around £125,000.

Over recent months OPDS has worked with several park owners to identify unique tax advantages in the UK leisure market and with success across several areas. Areas such as planning, commercial buildings, land remediation, heating and lighting, land management and enhanced eco assets have all proven to meet the stringent criteria of the tax office and together have been labelled the Leisure Park Tax Allowance (LPTA).

Richard Sigsworth, special projects director for OPDS comments: “I came across RD Tax Solutions whilst researching eco solutions and grants for parks and realised that there was huge potential for parks to claim significant tax rebates.

“The core ethos of OPDS is to help parks so I am continually seeking new opportunities and cost saving initiatives to that aim. Through this unique partnership we are able to further strengthen the services we offer to parks.”

Holiday Snaps: Jon Hyatt, Hendra Holiday Park

Posted on November 4, 2014
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Jon Hyatt, Hendra Holiday Park - Newquay

Holiday Snaps: Jon Hyatt, Hendra Holiday Park

Jon Hyatt is the director at Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay and the third generation of the family owned and operated business. Over the last 42 years Hendra has developed its 80 acre park with award-winning facilities and now has over 300 holiday homes with 500 touring, camping and motorhome pitches.

How do you see the UK holiday industry at the moment?

The industry broadly appears to be a lot more positive than at any other time over the last four or five years, no doubt aided by a prolonged period of fine weather this summer and an ever strong ‘buy British’ brand, which together are building confidence for the 2015 season.

What are the main challenges facing the industry?

The poor weather of recent years has knocked consumer confidence in UK holidays, which may take a long time to recover. But perhaps even more significant is the economic uncertainty that much of the UK population is living with - how much will the average family have to spend, or save for a holiday after the bills are paid and how much is this disposable income likely to be squeezed over the next 12 months? In short, how can we give potential guests the confidence to book UK holidays in advance and not just wait for last minute budget deals?

How have customer expectations changed during your time in the holiday business and how have you reacted to those demands?

Even in my relatively short time at Hendra, we have been attracting an ever wide range of holidaymakers to the park, so we have an ever increasing range of expectations to deal with. From the weekend group surf-breaks to the three-week extended family summer holiday we, in true family business style, strive to be honest in our offerings from the start and concentrate on exceeding expectations through fantastic customer service to deliver memorable holidays.

If you had to identify one element, what is the most crucial aspect to the success of your business?

The continual and substantial investment in our business year on year has been absolutely key to Hendra’s ongoing success over the years. Whether in renewing our holiday home fleet on a rolling six-year basis, adding new customer facilities or in securing our energy security with renewable technologies, we have always taken a long term view on investment over short term gain.

What has been your most interesting experience in the industry?

Personally I have thoroughly enjoyed helping to develop our environmental business strategy; with our business occupying 140 acres and accommodating up to 4,000 guests a night, reducing our impact on the environment and our dependence on fossil fuels has not only been vital to our sustainability but also very rewarding for all involved. It is another example of our long term view to business and investment, but also recognising that the surrounding environment is our key offering to guests at Hendra.

Where do you go on holiday?

Before joining Hendra full time I spent time travelling around Australia and New Zealand with my wife, I was shocked by how many of the local people we met had seen more of the UK than we had, so we often plan trips around the UK now.

Pampered Campers

Posted on September 9, 2014

Pampered Campers

Glamping-2

The camping pods at Woodovis Park in Devon have had a positive impact on the business.

The glamping phenomenon, or boutique camping as it is also becoming known, has inspired a new generation of holidaymakers looking to combine a grass roots camping experience with a few home comforts thrown in for good measure.

Made popular by celebrity fans and fuelled by the UK's staycationers, an increasing number of switched on park owners are cashing in on the glamping concept; offering luxury camping accommodation options alongside their existing caravans and lodges.

For those parks that have taken the glamping plunge, business is booming. The Caravan and Camping Club has seen a 42% increase in the number of bookings for its glamping accommodation in the last five years and pitch night bookings are up by nearly 5% compared to this time last year.

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The Caravan & Camping Club has reported a significant increase in glamping bookings in the last five years.

Rob Ganley, communications manager at The Camping and Caravanning Club comments: “The Club has enjoyed strong site occupancy this year so far, and our booking stats confirm that camping and caravanning continues to be one of the nation’s favourite pastimes.

“With many camping and caravanning brands investing in new technology plus the option of fixed on-site glamping accommodation, camping and caravanning can be a luxurious experience making it a more attractive and accessible holiday option to the wider travel market.”

Kate Paulwell of camping accommodation website Unique Sleeps agrees: "For businesses that are unsure whether to venture into the glamping market, it is not too late to jump on the bandwagon. Glamping is as popular as ever, and its future looks secure and set to continue."

To read more on this story please subscribe to Holiday Park Scene online today.

Vauxhall Half Century

Posted on July 3, 2014
vauxhall

The indoor water world and outdoor splash zones are the most popular leisure facilities at the family friendly Vauxhall Holiday Park.

Vauxhall Half Century

Celebrating its 50th birthday this year, Vauxhall Holiday Park remains one of Norfolk’s most popular holiday resorts.

Offering family holidays and short breaks to suit all budgets, the five star park is a firm favorite among holidaymakers looking to visit Great Yarmouth and the Norfolk Broads.

The family owned park was founded by the late Stanley Biss in 1964, and his sons Wayne and James Biss now deal with the day-to-day running of the park. Both are supported by general manager Roger Finney and a 50-strong team of on-site staff.

Amy Woodyatt, marketing manager at Vauxhall says: “We are very proud to have recently achieved the number one spot on Tripadvisor in our category, and a certificate of excellence award.

“Our loyal customers are great ambassadors for the park, often returning a few times a year. We actively encourage feedback from guests, as we find that word of mouth and customer reviews often attract new holidaymakers.”

As one of the first parks in the country to offer caravans with running water and electric in the 1960s, Vauxhall’s accommodation options have come a long way in the last 50 years. The park now accommodates approximately 430 bespoke holiday homes, including 48 chalets, plus 200 standard camping pitches and 13 super pitches.

There is also an ongoing investment strategy to replace older holiday homes to keep at the forefront of comfort and design. This year the Vauxhall team have introduced a new and exclusive owners site, following requests from returning customers, as well as investing in a new range of holiday homes and glamping mega pods.

To read more on Vauxhall Holiday Park, please subscribe online.

Families Claim They’re Held To Holiday Ransom

Posted on July 3, 2014
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Travel and teaching associations are proposing a shake-up of the school calendar so that holidays are more evenly spaced, to relieve the demand for holidays during peak times. Pic: VisitBritain.

Families Claim They’re Held To Holiday Ransom

Holiday providers have been accused of ‘holding parents to ransom’ in a flurry of media controversy surrounding the higher cost of holidays taken during school holidays.

In a price check survey, Holiday Park Scene compared the costs between ten leading holiday parks for a family of four on a week’s break in the first week of July and the first week of August. All of the breaks Holiday Park Scene looked at were more expensive during the school holidays, with most costing between 17 per cent and 78 per cent more when taken in August.

James Silvertone of Bourne Leisure comments: “We offer a very different experience on our school holiday breaks, compared to our term time breaks. It is misleading to compare the price of a school-holiday break and term-time break without understanding that two break types are very different,” he explains.

“We design our school holiday breaks around families with school-aged children which means we can offer a greatly expanded and enhanced range of entertainment and activities. We also pride ourselves on making sure that on every break we provide a range of options to families with different budgets.”

Dismayed consumers are less than happy about the out of term increases with many taking to social media and online blogs to vent their frustrations. A complaint from Paul Cookson, a father to three, drew masses of support on Facebook earlier this year and an e-petition calling for the rule on term time holiday fines to be reversed attracted more than 200,000 signatures.

Parents trying to save money by travelling in term time have faced hefty fines from education authorities for removing their children from school. Justine Roberts CEO of online family resource Mumsnet told Holiday Park Scene: “Three quarters of our users told us they think holiday companies are exploiting parents who have no other choice about the dates they travel.

“Obviously it’s hard to refute the laws of supply and demand but equally looking at it from a cost plus basis, holiday companies seem to be happily making extraordinary profits out of families and not surprisingly many feel they are being ripped off as a result.”

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Staycation Trend To Rise

Posted on July 3, 2014
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Domestic tourist expenditure is forecast to grow by 25% over the next four years.

Staycation Trend To Rise

Spending from staycationers is set to rise by around 25% over the next three years, according to a new report by Barclays.

Overall spending by UK domestic tourists is forecast to rise to £108 million between 2013 and 2017.

The forecast is based on the recovery staying on track without people immediately switching back to their pre-recessionary holiday habits with trips abroad. Barclays said the hospitality and leisure sectors will benefit most from the staycationing trend, with spend in pubs and restaurants forecast to rise 26% to £37bn as more people dine out.

UK-wide hotel and B&B spend is expected to increase by 25% to £17bn, with leisure attractions going up 27% to £15bn and shopping rising 23% to £15.6bn.

“The economy is improving and confidence is certainly growing,” commented Mike Saul, head of hospitality and leisure at Barclays. He added: “With domestic tourism set to be big business for the UK’s hospitality and retail sectors, those with a clearly targeted strategy are set to benefit.”

Rise of the Triathlon Holiday

Posted on December 19, 2013

A growing number of holidaymakers are looking for challenging activity getaways.

Rise of the Triathlon Holiday

Boosted by the Brownlee brothers’ success in the 2012 Olympics, the triathlon has seen its popularity soar recently.

Combining swimming, cycling and running, British Triathlon says it’s the fastest-growing sport in the UK. But it’s not just the events that are on the up. Triathlon holidays are also taking off too.

For some, the thought of early starts, swimming in cold lakes and cycling up mountains would be enough to make them want to cancel the trip and stay at home. But the combination of sports, beautiful landscapes and meeting new people is proving to be an alluring prospect for an increasing number of British holidaymakers.

Research by the Triathlon Industry Association (TIA) found one in five triathletes travelled overseas to compete last year, with almost three quarters saying they would consider doing so in the future. Some combined an event with a triathlon holiday.

Now many holiday operators are offering tailored triathlon packages to meet people’s demand. Training Escapes, which promotes cycling and triathlon training holidays, says there has been a 35% increase in triathlon holiday providers over the past three years, with holiday makers up by 30-35%.

Holiday Parks In Multi-Million Buy Out

Posted on November 20, 2013

Holiday Parks In Multi-Million Buy Out

South Lakeland Parks, which operates nine holiday parks in the Lake District and Morecambe Bay area, has been acquired by Electra Partners, the majority shareholder of Park Resorts, in a £47m deal.

Park Resorts and Electra Partners worked in partnership to secure the takeover deal of the Cumbrian-based business from White Ocean Leisure and its lenders. The acquisition comes only two months after Electra Partners led the refinancing of Park Resorts which will provide significant further investment in the parks to improve facilities across existing holiday parks.

The addition of South Lakeland increases Park Resorts’ portfolio by nine holiday parks, making it the largest holiday parks operator in the UK with 48 sites across England, Scotland and Wales.

South Lakeland Parks was founded in 1988 and was previously known as South Lakeland Caravans until June 2006. Its sites range from traditional caravan parks to larger holiday villages complete with leisure facilities and direct access to Lake Windermere.

David Boden, CEO of Park Resorts commented: “South Lakeland’s nine parks are all high quality and will perfectly complement our existing portfolio. The parks are ideally located for owners and holiday makers to experience some of the most spectacular scenery the UK has to offer.”