Rural Business Award Celebrations

Posted on September 8, 2017

Rural Business Award Celebrations

The best of the country’s rural tourism sector – from fully disabled-accessible cottages to the best in-farm visitor education – have been rewarded by being named finalists for Best Rural Tourism Business in the Rural Business Awards (RBAs) 2017. The awards, run in partnership with the CLA and Amazon, are the only UK-wide programme dedicated to showcasing the success of rural businesses. Now in their third year and with nearly three times as many entries as in 2016, they are split into 13 sections across the industry. The five finalists for Best Rural Tourism Business:

• Hoe Grange Holidays, based in Matlock, Derbyshire

• Barleylands Farm Park and Craft Village, based in Billericay, Essex

• The Rookery, based in Roughlee, Lancashire

• Ceridwen Centre Ltd, based in Llandysul, Carmarthenshire

• Humble Bee Leisure, based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Wish You Were Here – Highlands End Holiday Park

Posted on September 7, 2017

Wish You Were Here - Highlands End Holiday Park

For TV drama fans, Highlands End Holiday Park is spectacularly located on the clifftop overlooking West Bay, the setting of ITV’s Broadchurch.

The lodges and some of the touring caravans and motorhome pitches on the park have views out over Broadchurch while some of the other caravans, and camping pitches overlook the ‘Broadchurch Hut’ and Eype Beach. Part of West Dorset Leisure Holidays, a family run group, Highlands End Holiday Park is located on the clifftop near West Bay in Dorset and enjoys panoramic views across 99 miles of World Heritage Jurassic Coastline.

Highlands End has been providing memorable holidays for families, friends and couples for decades and todays accommodation includes luxury lodges, glamping pods, caravan holiday homes, apartments, bungalows and pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents – many of which enjoy fantastic views over the surrounding coast and countryside. The park is particularly popular with star gazers and dog owners, who enjoy the clear night skies and mile after mile of footpath to explore.

The Park has a newly refurbished bar and restaurant with one of the largest and most important private collections of fire service memorabilia in the country. The collection has been built up over three decades by Martin Cox, a member of the family who have owned Highlands End – and its four sister parks – for 45 years.

As well as ‘Martin’s Bar & Restaurant,’ the parks highly-praised facilities include a Leisure Club which incorporates a pool, sauna and steam room, a shop specialising in fresh Dorset produce and a pitch and putt course that is great for the whole family.

Highlands End Holiday Park
Tel. 01308 422 139
www.highlandsendholidaypark.co.uk

Return On Searles Leisure Investment

Posted on September 1, 2017

Return On Searles Leisure Investment

Norfolk’s Searles Leisure Resort says investments of over £1 million have helped put the park on course for the busiest ever summer in its 60-plus year history. The multi-award winning Hunstanton venue met its deadline of adding the extra facilities by the start of the school holidays with the investments in a raft of new activities, including an innovative new indoor splash zone.

Managing Director, Paul Searle, Chairman of the BHPHA says providing first-class facilities and experiences for touring guests is still the park’s core aim. He commented: “I think that many people now realise that, compared with going abroad, British park holidays offer great value and a far more relaxing time for the whole family.”

The site is also celebrating receiving AA’s Gold Pennant after meeting the stringent conditions of a five-pennant rating – and then going on to achieve a quality score of over 90 per cent in that band. “The AA’s awards put a strong emphasis on the hospitality which qualifying parks provide, and here we are indebted to our hard-working staff team at Searles,” said Paul adding: “Our thanks go to them, and to our many loyal touring customers.”

New Seaside Star For Park Holidays UK

Posted on September 1, 2017

New Seaside Star For Park Holidays UK

Park Holidays UK has completed the acquisition of Pevensey Bay Holiday Park near Eastbourne in Sussex. Formerly known as Martello Beach Holiday Park, the site boasts private beach access and a jetty for boats and jet-skis, and is the 28th park to join the Park Holidays UK group.

The site presently provides 265 holiday homes, both privately owned and available to rent, all set in picturesque landscaped grounds amid the countryside of the Sussex Weald. Owners and holiday guests are provided with a long line-up of leisure facilities including an indoor swimming pool, spa pool and sauna, and a fully equipped gym and fitness centre. Park Holidays UK director Tony Clish said the Pevensey Bay’s previous owners had done a magnificent job in creating a park which provides a true sense of privilege: “The lovely setting obviously gives Pevensey Bay a head start, but the park and its superbly high standards is a perfect match for its surroundings,” said Tony.

“As a group, we have always been committed to operating parks which offer only the very best customer experiences and the best value in their class. “That’s why we will ensure that Pevensey Bay continues as an ideal base for families and those who enjoy activities such as sailing, rowing, jet-skiing and sea fishing. “All of our parks make important and substantial contributions to the local economies where they are based by generating millions of pounds of visitor spending,” said Tony. “Our intention is that Pevensey Bay will build even further on the support it already provides to many local small businesses and the people they employ,” he added.

Web Wise

Posted on September 1, 2017

Web Wise - Online Bookings

The sense that many potential customers are just looking, not booking is common. Web visitors often just want to get a picture of what’s available. At other times they’re unable to commit to plans until they’ve settled on exact dates with friends and family.

Whatever the reason, conversion rates in the travel industry are surprisingly low, and that’s why it is crucial for holiday park owners to get the booking process right. More people are using the web to shop around for holidays than ever before, and this means they’re only a swipe away from comparing prices with a competitor.

Research has shown that 37 per cent of consumers abandon travel purchases at the last minute because they want to do further research or find a cheaper price. But when margins in the industry are low, competing on price is difficult. Instead, holiday park owners should focus on delivering a streamlined shopping experience and a fuss-free checkout process. With so many holiday options on offer, it’s vital that potential customers don’t vanish at the finish line.

Choosing the most appropriate booking system requires park owners and managers to match their needs with the features of a product. But no two holiday parks are identical and it might seem difficult to find a system with all the necessary functions and flexibility. This is why CampManager, a leading Park Management Software provider, assists more than 300 campsites and caravan parks throughout the UK and Ireland with an online booking solution suited to the individual parks’ requirements.

“There are many different booking systems in the market, some of which have been adapted from hotel booking systems, which may not provide you with the pricing functionality that you require,” says Niall Norris of CampManager. “It’s important to select a booking system which is specifically designed to manage all your different pricing requirements – season dates, minimum stays and set arrival dates – and all your different rental accommodation and touring pitch characteristics.”

However, park owners should realise that the best solution may not come right out of a box. Sometimes choosing a booking system is more about modifying an existing offering to fit a park’s individual specifications. For Dafydd Lawrence, head of information systems at Bluestone National Park Resort, an award-winning retreat in the rolling Pembrokeshire countryside, it was important to create a bespoke solution that would fit with the park’s existing digital infrastructure.

“Having a web API in our main booking system allowed us to write our own online platform that talks directly to our booking system,” Lawrence explains. “Any system that makes you use an ‘off-the-shelf’ website or their own web booking engine can severely limit how much you can customise the experience for your guests.” The most obvious step to making booking on your site easy is to ensure that it works well on mobile devices.

To read more about getting 'Web Wise' please subscribe to Holiday Park Scene here.

COMPANY CONTACTS

CAMPMANAGER - Tel. 02081 331 005 - www.campmanager.com

GEMAPARK - Tel. 01983 282 420 - www.gemapark.co.uk

PITCHED - Tel. 01726 418 118 - www.pitched.co.uk

Peas In A Pod

Posted on September 1, 2017

Peas In A Pod

One in four holidaymakers are now choosing to stay in the UK rather than travel abroad. So, having compromised on flights, when it comes to booking closer to home, the calibre of accommodation is undoubtedly the decision maker or the deal breaker for potential holiday park guests.

From lodges to hobbit holes and from safari tents to yurts, holiday parks offer multiple levels of accommodation, with both varied quality and pricing. Of these, it is the fast-moving pod sector that currently stands out from the crowd.

The explosion of interest in pods is one of the key factors behind the rejuvenation of British camping with increasing numbers of young people and families opting to experience ‘the great outdoors’ while still appreciating the comforts of home. Since its first appearance in 2008 the pod has become a well-established and much enjoyed alternative to the tent and the caravan holiday home and is now a widely available feature on many sites throughout the UK and Ireland as well as most of the countries in Europe.

Although selling the idea of the new concept pods to holiday park operators was a challenge ten years ago, owners are now seeing the perks and can create an interesting setting with the added benefit of using ground that may be unsuitable for camping or tourers. “Pods can and will provide a good stream of income as they are set up nicely to offer an exclusive visitor experience,” says Ian Bone, Director of the Original Pod Company. Creators of the trademarked Pod range, Newfoundland Lodges are the originators of the pod concept.

CANVAS HOLIDAYS

Ian says the growth in the industry is a cause for innovation. “Our recent wet summers have tempered the ‘canvas holiday’ to some degree which has certainly been to our advantage, plus the pods are an all year round option and will see occupancy outside of the traditional camping season,” comments Ian. The Cowshed - a ‘boutique bunkhouse’ hostel in Uig on the Isle of Skye - highlights where the Pod is well placed, and how to make the most of this sector of the industry.

The Cowshed site was initially transformed by the new owners and quickly became a highly popular stopping off point for visitors to Skye and the Western Isles. To increase capacity and add interest an area of ground was developed at the back of the hostel which offered excellent views down to the harbour and the island seascapes beyond.

Says Ian: “The north-west coast of Scotland is a tough place when it comes to weather so it was decided to use Thermowood as external cladding on all seven of the MegaPod-S units as well as using double skinned outer walls.” The hostel is open all year and comfort levels need to be maintained.

“Overall, I think the diversity on offer is healthy and gives this sector energy,” says Ian. “We have been here from the start and have seen ideas come and go but it does seem to be the case that you have come to the market with something original if you want to survive” Although the glamping experience may be usurping the traditional camping holiday, there are still a variety of options for visitors hoping to have a break under canvas.

To find out more about accommodation options, please subscribe to Holiday Park Scene here.

COMPANY CONTACTS

BOLDSCAN - Tel. 01823 665 849 - www.boldscan.co.uk

FUTURE ROOMS - Tel. 01452 501 455 - www.podsbyfuturerooms.co.uk

NEWFOUNDLAND LTD - Tel. 01539 532 245 - www.thepod.info

PATHFINDER - Tel. 01626 833 799 - www.pathfinderhomes.co.uk

Would-Be Owners Can Try Before They Buy

Posted on September 1, 2017

Would-Be Owners Can Try Before They Buy

A Shropshire Holiday Park site has started its expansion project following increased demand from staycationers and is offering a new ‘try before you buy’ scheme for potential customers. The scheme allows customer who decide to buy a holiday home or luxury lodge on the park following a two-night stay, to have the cost deducted from the purchase price.

25 pitches are being created a Bow House Country Park, near Bishops Castle, which already has 62 caravans and 15 luxury lodges. 14 new pitches are being created in the first phase of the expansion with the picturesque caravan holiday home park in the South Shropshire Hills already popular with guests who live within two hours travelling distance of Bishops Castle.

Three of the new pitches have already been reserved and 15 holiday homes and lodges had been sold in the past 12 months. Many of the sales were secured from buyers who had been tempted to stop at the park whilst driving past. “Bow House Country Park is a wonderful place to get away from the stresses and strains of modern living, an idyllic, secluded location for a holiday retreat.

“We appreciate that buying a holiday home is a big deal and we want to ensure that customers make the right decision,” said Edward Goddard, managing director of Morris Leisure. “That’s why we offer them the opportunity to experience holiday home ownership at Bow House Country Park before they invest their hard-earned money.”

Nation Of Happy Campers

Posted on September 1, 2017

Nation Of Happy Campers

Almost half of Brits set off on a camping holiday in the UK this summer, with 43 per cent of holidaymakers looking forward to sleeping under canvas, according to research by Halfords the camping and leisure equipment retailer.

A survey of 2,000 people revealed that for 54 per cent, exploring the great outdoors is their main motivation, while half of Brits said they’ll be camping because it’s a more affordable option than holidaying abroad. A total of 41 per cent describe camping as ‘the perfect way to spend time with family’, while one in four look forward to switching off from the stresses of modern life.

Negative comments included having to go outside to use the toilet – 42 per cent cite this as the most annoying part of their camping trip – and 34 per cent said disruptive neighbours tend to get on their nerves.

“Our sales across camping and outdoor leisure were up 45 per cent on April to May last year, and it’s no surprise that Brits are choosing to holiday in the UK rather than travelling abroad, which can be expensive and stressful,” comments David Howell, Halfords’ motoring and leisure accessories expert. “It’s really easy to forget that we live in one of the world’s top tourist destinations – and summer is a great time to get out and explore.”

Crowd Funding

Posted on September 1, 2017

Crowd Funding

The owners of the Copper Pot Campsite near Callington, in Cornwall, are hoping to raise £50,000 through a crowd funding scheme.

Local businesses in the area are already stepping forward to help support the couple by offering their services, but funds are desperately needed to buy materials.

Husband and wife owners, James and Laiana Lankester say once open, the campsite will give back by supporting the local economy - providing custom to local businesses and jobs.

Recycled Furniture

Posted on September 1, 2017

Recycled Furniture

Rondeau Leisure is backing the effort to recycle plastic waste that is often dumped in the worlds’ ocean.

The business is supported by its own range of Pacific Ocean outdoor furniture which is produced from recycled plastic cartons that would otherwise find their way back to the seas. The aim of Pacific Ocean furniture is to turn plastic waste into durable garden additions with a lifespan of 10 years and beyond.

The range of chairs, tables, stools, loveseats and benches are made from milk cartons but are moulded into the same grain as wood – without the worry of rotting, splitting, cracking, fading or being burnt by cigarettes.

Rondeau Leisure’s managing director, Stuart Cooke, says: “The plastic waste issue is about more than just water bottles. “Sports, leisure and hospitality providers – even care homes and hospitals - need to get on board by not buying plastic furniture that has to be scrapped after a season or two."