Park Holidays UK is reporting an explosion in demand from new holiday home buyers with enquiries soaring fuelled by the likelihood that overseas holidays will be a no-go this year and possibly next.
Park Holidays UK director Tony Clish says his group hopes to avoid rationing the distribution of holiday caravans and lodges among its 31 parks. “We do carry good levels of new stock at present, and existing owners trading-up to 2020 models means that we should have plenty of pre-owned holiday homes to offer,” he said.
“Sales enquiries slowed in March when government ordered the shutdown of parks – but they’ve since been escalating to a phenomenal extent throughout spring. “I think there’s the realisation that one of the best ways to enjoy staying in the UK is by owning a holiday home where you can take breaks throughout the four seasons.
“That, of course, and the fact that a park is perhaps the safest of all holiday destinations with completely selfcontained accommodation set at least five metres apart. “The staycation trend was already well entrenched before this present crisis, and I think it is going to come back with a vengeance,” added Tony.
Verdant Leisure, a bespoke holiday park operator with ten holiday parks in Scotland and the north of England, is reporting a continued trend for staycation bookings this autumn, with October bookings doubling on autumn 2019. “We’re continuing to see recordbreaking bookings across all our UK parks,” says Verdant Leisure’s Chief Executive, Graham Hodgson. “This is really helping to boost the local economies in the Scottish and English regions where our parks are located, as each park provides the customer base for numerous other regional businesses, including local suppliers, shops, pubs, restaurants, cafes and visitor attractions,” Verdant Leisure recently secured licences for some of its leisure parks which permit them to open for 12-months of the year.
With the enforced closure and demand for UK breaks now so high, the company was in talks with local authorities to agree this for 2020/2021. The nationwide lockdown from March-June put considerable strain on the many local economies in the UK that rely on tourism to survive. Therefore, extending ‘the season’ was high on the agenda for Verdant Leisure and the British tourism industry as a whole. “As with many businesses in the sector we have seen an uplift in last minute bookings with more people than ever wanting to take a break with their family in the UK – a trend which we predict will continue well into 2021.
We recently announced a half a million-pound investment to increase accommodation pitches at our Scottish parks to keep up with demand and these are due for completion in the next few weeks, ready for our autumn visitors,” continues Graham. Verdant has also recently invested £500,000 to keep up with the current staycation demand. A new luxury lodge development has been completed at its East Lothianbased Thurston Manor Leisure Park. The company is also starting a new pitch development at Perthshire-based Erigmore Leisure Park.
above: OLIVER DOWDEN CBE sees first-hand the measures Butlins had put in place.
The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP - Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport - has visited Butlin’s Bognor Regis to see first-hand how domestic tourism is booming despite COVID-19 restrictions still being in place. Mr Dowden met with holidaymakers and staff – including the famous Red Coats - as he was given a tour by Managing Director, Jon Hendry-Pickup. Butlin’s has introduced a range of measures to keep guests safe whilst still providing the renowned experience that has captivated generations of guests. A new openair amphitheatre is hosting outdoor entertainment from 10am until 9pm at a safe social distance with capacity for up 500 people at Bognor Regis, whilst Butlin’s has also participated in a UK Government pilot to test the use of indoor theatre space at reduced capacity.
New mobile platforms where customers can book activities, swimming and shows in advance to avoid queuing has come into operation and Butlin’s state of the art £40m swimming pool opened in May 2019 – Splash – has resumed operation with new social distancing measures developed in conjunction with Swim England. Butlin’s Bognor Regis generates £90m sales per year with 350,000 guests and day visitors, and 1300 team members – the biggest single employer in the area. Over the past two years, Butlin’s has invested almost £50m in its Bognor Regis site to maintain and enhance its famous guest experience to ensure it remains a Great British success story.
Jon Hendry-Pickup, Managing Director at Butlin’s, said: “Butlin’s has been treasured by generations of British holidaymakers and as COVID-19 restrictions eased it was once again the go-to destination for families across the country. “Whether it be our exceptional outdoor entertainment, access to our brilliant Splash pool or our new methods of booking food and activities, guests can be assured that the Butlin’s experience is as enjoyable as ever whilst remaining safe and secure for visitors and staff.”
THE BRITISH HOLIDAY & HOME PARKS ASSOCIATION’S Chairman, Andrew Baragwanath has welcomed suppert for NHS workers.
Britain’s caravan and camping parks have been praised by government tourism minister Nigel Huddleston for accommodating front-line NHS workers and others in urgent need of accommodation during the coronavirus crisis.
The British Holiday & Home Parks Association reports “a massive industrywide response” following the closure of all its 2,900 member park businesses this week. The association’s chairman, Andrew Baragwanath, says that medical staff coming out of retirement and needing to be close to NHS hospitals are among those being welcomed.
“We are hearing many examples of parks offering up holiday caravans and holiday lodges, and even glamping units, to local councils and health boards,” he said. “There are a lot of instances where parks are able to play a role, including providing a safer place to stay for homeless people previously housed by councils in B&B accommodation.
“We’ve also heard of parks working with councils to accommodate people who must stay apart from their families as their partner or relative has contracted the virus.
“Parks would normally now be starting to really busy-up as the holiday season gets underway, but instead there are thousands of holiday caravans across the country lying empty.
“Most parks are smaller family-run businesses where the owners have long been a part of the local community, and now see an opportunity to reach out even further to support it. “We are very proud of what we are witnessing and the compassion being shown,” said Andrew whose longestablished family firm owns Ayr Holiday Park near St Ives in Cornwall.
Viewers of BBC’s The One Show were given a sneak preview of how a major Somerset holiday park was getting ready to welcome back its much-missed guests. The popular magazine show went behind the scenes at Holiday Resort Unity in Brean Sands as it put the finishing touches to re-opening preparations.
Alan House, director of the familyrun business, showed the programme’s reporter how social distancing and other safety measures would help give peace of mind to guests. He said that bookings had gone “absolutely crackers” in the weeks running up to today, and that staff couldn’t wait to see the park bustling with smiling faces again.
“At last the great British seaside holiday is back, and people can finally enjoy a relaxing carefree break they need and deserve,” said Alan. “Our job now is to provide some truly memorable experiences, and for our business to start salvaging what it can from the rest of the holiday year.”
The UK’s largest digital marketplace for new and used cars, Auto Trader, has reported that views of caravan adverts increased 18% last week and views of motorhomes adverts increased 17%, compared to the previous year. A survey of 2,000 UK adults which the brand carried out to examine this trend further reveals almost half of the population (40%) is planning a 2020 staycation (provided Government guidelines allow), and that caravan holidays are set to almost match stays in hotels this year. Only 40% of those planning a staycation this summer said they would consider staying in a hotel, while 33% say they would consider staying in a caravan - making caravans second only to hotels in popularity amongst those planning breaks.
Caravans are also set to overtake the popularity of rented holiday apartments and houses, which have enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity over the past few years thanks to a new wave of disruptive rental websites and B&Bs. Demand for rented apartments and houses this summer is set to trail behind that for caravans and hotels, with just 27% of those planning staycations saying they’d consider them. The trend for caravans seems to be being driven by a need to feel safer. 37% said staying in a caravan would mean they could sanitise the environment properly themselves, to limit the spread of germs from those outside their family.
Auto Trader’s Rory Reid comments: “Coronavirus has changed the way we live our lives in so many ways, and there’s no doubt this will extend to our holidays. “Many are unlikely to want (or be able) to quarantine themselves for 14 days after a holiday abroad, so we’ll be seeing UK beaches and other hotspots a buzz with British holidaymakers this summer. He continues: “Caravan holidays in particular will shoot through the roof. The idea of holidaying in a space that you yourself own, which you can clean yourself and which won’t have been used by others recently, is definitely reassuring.”
Consultation has begun on a proposed 200 acre ecowellness resort in Ashwicken, Norfolk, comprising of 154 floating and lakeside holiday lodges including treehouse accommodation, a clubhouse on the water and associated boat house.
There will be a specialised focused on water-based pursuits including rowing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, fishing and open water swimming.
Developer Norfolk Farm Leisure wants to transform Ashwicken Lake near East Winch, with 154 floating and waterside holiday lodges with a £35m investment. The resort has been designed by London-based Baca Architects, which specialises in building on or near water.
The resort will lead to an estimated £8m (£6m in King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, and the remaining £2m in Norfolk) boost to the local economy and the creation of 340 jobs.
Holiday parks and campsites have welcomed the news that they could be given the green light to remain open over this winter. Following a lobbying campaign by the British Holiday & Home Parks Association, the Government has sent a message to local authorities in England, asking them to fast-track applications for a longer season.
Scottish local authorities have received a similar signal from the Scottish Government.
England’s Local Government Minister Lord Greenhalgh said he hopes winter opening requests will receive a “sympathetic approach” following huge losses suffered by most parks this year. The association’s Director General, Ros Pritchard OBE, said the lifeline was a step in the right direction to helping prevent wide-scale job cuts and business failures in the sector. “More than a third of all holiday parks and campsites are required by their planning consent to shut up shop in October – and it’s a moment most of them are dreading,” she said. “After being closed from March until July, they have missed out on months of prime trading time, including bank holidays and half-terms.
SURVIVAL HOPES
“This simply isn’t sustainable for seasonally dependent businesses, and especially the hundreds of smaller family-run parks which make up our membership. “At present, only a quarter of holiday parks and campsites are allowed to remain open all year – and many of the rest will be pinning their survival hopes on keeping going over winter. Although the request by the Westminster Government for local authorities to allow winter opening applies only in England, parks in Scotland are also being supported. BH&HPA, which represents around 2,200 UK holiday parks and campsites, says it is also working with the Welsh Government to achieve similar backing for parks in Wales to remain open over winter.
13th May, 2020: The UK’s largest holiday park operator, Parkdean Resorts, has provided free accommodation to front-line NHS workers during the Coronavirus crisis.
After government instruction in March, the company’s 67 parks shut down, and were left empty, save for a handful of key security and maintenance staff on each park. With caravans and lodges available, Parkdean Resorts took the decision to contact local healthcare authorities to offer free accommodation on selected parks to NHS key workers in need of a convenient place to stay at the end of their shifts, or living with any vulnerable or at-risk family members.
So far, free accommodation has been offered to NHS workers at four parks across the country: Torquay, Whitley Bay in Northumberland, Vauxhall in Great Yarmouth, and Southview in Skegness. In total, the four parks have housed more than fifty key workers for a total of more than 1000 nights, with a total value of over £70,000.
Rob Warner, Operations Director for Parkdean Resorts said: “The vast majority of our teams live locally to our parks so they’ve been keen to give back to the local community and in particular to support NHS staff who have been doing such an incredible job throughout the Coronavirus crisis. As our own small way of showing our thanks and appreciation for all they have been doing, we were happy to offer our park facilities for free to support key workers.”
NHS Community support worker, Stephanie Head, was one of the key workers who took advantage of Parkdean Resorts’ offer of free accommodation, at Torquay. She said: “Due to living with my parents who are in their 70s, I had to find temporary accommodation to keep them safe. I cannot thank Parkdean and their staff enough for making this possible! The overall experience was perfect. The staff were friendly and helpful, and I could not fault the accommodation.”
NHS Operating Department Practitioner, Mark Simpson, stayed at Whitley Bay, adding, “I have three young children at home, who have been worried about the situation. I cannot thank Parkdean enough, their staff have been very friendly and the overall experience has been amazing.”
And NHS Pharmacist, Samuel Tsui, was grateful to be able to stay at Vauxhall: “I had come down to Norfolk to cover NHS Staff shortages in the area for a week. I had been struggling to find accommodation until I came across Vauxhall Holiday Park! I really can’t thank Parkdean Resorts enough. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, the park was very secure with locked gates and the caravan I stayed had everything I needed and was very comfortable, this allowed me to self- isolate efficiently and get a good night’s rest after a long day at work. Thank you, Vauxhall, for opening your doors for NHS staff in these uncertain times!”
Throughout the lockdown, many of Parkdean Resorts’ holiday park teams have also shown support for their local communities by donating tens of thousands of pounds worth of unused food to local foodbanks and charities.
Parkdean Resorts is the UK’s largest operator of caravan, lodge, cabin, glamping and camping holiday resorts, and was named Best UK Family Holiday Company 2019 at the British Travel Awards, the UK’s biggest opinion poll for travel and tourism in the country. Earlier this year, the company announced an investment of over £80million in its business across Britain.
Delegates from parks across Britain were joined by senior politicians and national tourism chiefs at this January’s annual conference of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association.
Held at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, the event welcomed an array of high-profile speakers on a wide range of subjects which impact on the parks industry.
It was also an opportunity for many park owners to engage with their local MPs who came from the nearby Houses of Parliament to attend a lobby lunch hosted by BH&HPA.
The forward-facing theme of the conference was taken up by one of its first keynote speakers, cabinet minister and Secretary of State for tourism John Whittingdale. Mr Whittingdale told delegates to be in no doubt that the Government acknowledged and valued greatly the enormous contribution made by park businesses to the UK economy. He explained the Government’s approach to tourism support through the Five Point Plan, and added that the Prime Minister was in Cumbria that very day announcing further support following the recent flooding.
Also taking the platform as a long-time champion of Britain’s visitor industry was Lord Lee of Trafford who first addressed the BH&HPA conference 29 years ago. Serving then as tourism minister, he told delegates of the passionate belief he still holds in the need to support tourism businesses, not least because of the employment opportunities they provide. Lord Lee gave his views of successive governments’ approach to tourism, underlining that the industry needed to continue to lobby for the recognition it deserves.
The challenges faced by residential parks were addressed by Christopher Chope MP who was chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mobile Homes in the previous Parliament. Mr Chope, who was a minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, explained how parks homes are viewed in Parliament and emphasised the need for MPs to be invited to visit parks themselves.
Other speakers included Philip Collins, the celebrated Times columnist and former chief speech writer to Tony Blair, who shared many eyebrow-raising political predictions with the conference. On a lighter note, TV presenter and actor Warwick Davies – whose film career includes roles in Harry Potter and Star Wars – spoke of his life-long love of caravanning. His amusing anecdotes took in both his early caravan experiences with his mum and dad, and the motorhome stays on parks which he enjoys today with his wife and children.
BH&HPA’s conference was prefaced by the previous day’s BH&HPA Marketplace at the Hilton on Park Lane where park owners and managers met with a myriad of different industry suppliers. The business ‘speed dating’ concept – where would-be suppliers are given just 12 minutes to put their case to prospective park customers – was judged a great success by those on both sides of the tables.
Consultation has begun on a proposed 200 acre ecowellness resort in Ashwicken, Norfolk, comprising of 154 floating and lakeside holiday lodges including treehouse accommodation, a clubhouse on the water and associated boat house.
WINTER OPENING LIFELINE
SURVIVAL HOPES
Delegates from parks across Britain were joined by senior politicians and national tourism chiefs at this January’s annual conference of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association.