Crowd Pleasers

Posted on March 8, 2016

Crowd Pleasers

Billing Aquadrome

The award-winning Billing Aquadrome Holiday Park is a busy hub of activity, attracting more than one million visitors each year.

Located in the Nene Valley, near to Northampton, the 235- acre park is owned by Pure Leisure Group, which operates nine holiday lodge and caravan parks in the southern Lake District, Northamptonshire and East Anglia.

“Families and retired couples make up the majority of visitors to the park, and while a number of those own holiday homes on the site, around 60 per cent of holiday bookings are made by guests who have visited before,” reveals John Morphet, Pure Leisure Group owner. He adds: “Our guests choose Billing Aquadrome because it offers so much choice – from tent pitches to camping pods, caravans and luxury lakeside holiday lodges that cover every budget, to the wide range of activities on offer. There really is something for everyone and there is a great community feel about the place all year round.”

The park boasts 1,707 pitches for camping, touring and motorhomes, of which 1,508 are nonelectric and 199 are electric. There are also 35 super pitches which provide waste and water facilities with PAYGO electric. The pod village has 16 pods and there is also 60 holiday homes, which are a mixture of static caravans and luxury lodges. The large picturesque marina is one of Billing Aquadrome’s finest features. Situated on the River Nene, it has 180 berths – all of which are secured on floating pontoons for the nautically minded.

“Billing Aquadrome is all about good, old-fashioned family fun,” says John. “Many of our guests visited as children and now bring their grandchildren and we pride ourselves on being a place where families can spend quality time together, making happy memories that will last a lifetime.”

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Mersea Island Park Set For Investment

Posted on March 8, 2016

Mersea Island Park Set For Investment

Over £12 million will be spent on improving facilities at Tattershall Lakes Country Park this year.

Holiday park operator Away Resorts has purchased Cosways Holiday Park on Mersea Island. The park, which is to be rebranded as Mersea Island Holiday Park, brings Away Resorts’ portfolio to five, joining Tattershall Lakes, Whitecliff Bay, Mill Rythe and Barmouth Bay.

As part of Away Resorts’ long-term plan to invest in the development of all its holiday parks, a three-year improvement plan is also being implemented at Tattershall Lakes.

Away Resorts claim the £12 million project is the biggest single investment planned for any UK holiday park in 2016. Away Resorts’ managing director, Carl Castledine said: “We are delighted to be able to showcase another new holiday park as part of our investment plans for 2016.

“We will continue to develop the facilities and infrastructure of Mersea Island Holiday Park. With a £12 million investment programme taking place at our parks over the next three years, it makes for very exciting times ahead for Away Resorts.”

Developments include an enlarged entertainment area with a newly extended bar and diner, as well as a new guest services office with additional parking. The on-site shop will also be extended, along with a new adventure golf, indoor activity marquee, large outdoor covered play area, toddlers play area, outdoor wet play area with slide and an extended beach area with more seating.

Death By Drowning For Stricken Parks

Posted on March 8, 2016

Death By Drowning For Stricken Parks

Flood waters caused damage to parks in the North.

Severe storms battered the UK at the end of last year, causing devastating floods and damage to a number of holiday parks in the North of the country.

In light of the recent floods, Britain’s Secretary of State for tourism has been told that Northern England’s visitor industry could suffer ‘death by drowning’ if more attention isn’t paid to maintaining the region’s waterways.

The warning was delivered by chairman of the BH&HPA Henry Wild at a major London tourism conference. Mr Wild said that the aftermath of December’s deluges had shown the potentially devastating impact that flooding could have on the tourism industry, particulary in Cumbria and Lancashire. He said there needed to be a body appointed with clearly defined responsibilities for ensuring that waterways were capable of removing surface water from the land.

“It appears that many holidaymakers have been heeding the message that Cumbria is determined to be back on its feet by spring with repairs made to much of our damaged infrastructure,” he said.

“We now need a clear road map which identifies the agency and the resources available to it for tackling the problem of an ever-rising water table.”

Deeside Holiday Park in Aberdeenshire was totally submerged when the nearby River Dee burst its banks due to heavy rain gales were swept in by Storm Frank. Residents, guests and staff were evacuated on December 30 at 2pm and by 3.30pm the entire site was underwater. Flood water surged through the park once more on January 3, causing further destruction.

“The park has been completely devastated,” explains Sarah Wood MacGregor of Wood Leisure, owners of Deeside Park.

“The reception is the only building left standing as it is on higher ground but everything else, including all the lodges, holiday homes and caravans have been demolished.

“We had some flood defences in place, but as a fairly low risk area no one could have predicted the sheer volume and power of the water that hit the park. We are just counting our lucky stars that no-one was injured.”

A major clean-up operation is underway at Deeside as water levels began to subside. Wood Leisure hopes that the park will be up and running again in time for the summer season.

Sarah adds: “We are remaining optimistic, but we have a long road ahead. We will be investing in new flood defences and hope to have some parts of the park open in the spring.”

A recent report by specialist insurance broker Towergate revealed that over the past five years, more than a third of small businesses have experienced property damage from bad weather. Yet three in five aren’t insured against flooding, high winds, thunder and lightning, snow, ice or hail – risking footing the bill for £74,000 worth of property damage on average.

Commenting on the findings, Drew Wotherspoon from Towergate, said: “Small businesses are the lifeblood of the UK economy, but too many firms are not protecting themselves against the erratic nature of British weather, leaving themselves open to footing the bill for substantial damages and losing out on business earnings.

“It’s vital that small business owners take heed of weather warnings and take precautionary measures to allow them to weather the storm and get back to business as quickly as possible.”

Industry Returns To The Good Times

Posted on February 23, 2016

Industry Returns To The Good Times

A highly successful year for many, 2015 got off to a good start with an extended spring season and the early onset of summer, which put a spring in the step of many holiday park operators.
Riding the crest of a wave, the holiday park and tourism industries in general are feeling positive and confident as we head into the New Year. Holiday Park Scene magazine asked a selection of leading industry personalities to give their take on 2015 and their predictions and resolutions for the year ahead…

Tim Gibson

Managing director of Haven Holidays

“2015 was very positive for Haven; our business grew by over 6 per cent, with more customers searching out and enjoying their holiday in our luxury end accommodation. As a result, they did pay more for their holiday in 2015 but the improvement in our guest satisfaction scores suggest that they found the extra investment in their holiday well worthwhile.

“The good early season weather certainly helped get the year off to a good start and we were able to maintain the momentum throughout the year. Also, our continued investment in the product both physical and service elements has contributed to an increase in repeat custom which bodes well for the future.

“Looking ahead to 2016, we are already seeing more people choosing to book early to secure their first choice of park and chosen accommodation. Some of our most exclusive units are already very well sold and people will increasingly discover that if they wait, it’ll be too late.

“I hope to spend more time on park this year speaking to our park teams and our guests. I also plan to continue to work smarter, to make sure we continue to deliver our business objectives in the most efficient but also the most enjoyable way possible.”

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High Praise For Scottish Parks

Posted on February 23, 2016

High Praise For Scottish Parks

The British Holiday & Home Parks Association (Scotland) was attended
by many senior members of BH&HPA Scotland’s 200-plus park businesses.

Providers of ‘fresh air holidays’ in Scotland met in Edinburgh in December to hear tourism minister Fergus Ewing praise their invaluable support of rural economies. Mr Ewing was speaking at the annual conference of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (Scotland) attended by many senior members of BH&HPA; Scotland’s 200-plus park businesses. The event brought together the managers and owners of businesses credited with generating just over £700m of visitor spending annually. “The holiday park sector offers good quality accommodation for all types of visitors, and helps to sustain employment in some of Scotland’s most remote and rural areas,” said Mr Ewing. Mr Ewing also noted that parks had also helped contribute to increasing overseas visitor numbers which were up by 4 per cent compared with last year, and their spending up by 10 per cent.

Social Media Plays Pivotal Role

Posted on February 3, 2016

Social Media Plays Pivotal Role

Social media is the fastest and most powerful way for the UK’s tourism industry to showcase itself, according to a new report by VisitBritain.

A report published by VisitBritain shows the powerful role that social media plays in the UK’s tourism industry

When it comes to choosing Britain as a holiday destination, the research found that social media plays a key role in the decision-making process with Facebook the main go-to source for respondents in all stages of the holiday-making process.
Meanwhile Twitter was most commonly used for seeking suggestions and advice while on holiday and Instagram was used most by people wanting to plan their trip or share their experiences - though to a lesser extent than the other platforms.
Almost 70 per cent of those surveyed said content posted online by friends made them want to visit a destination and 76 per cent of all respondents had read a review site when thinking about taking a holiday.
VisitBritain marketing director Joss Croft said: “This research reinforces to all of us working in the travel industry the powerful role that social media now plays in offering unparalleled opportunities to engage directly with potential visitors in a timely way, with the right messages, demonstrating an understanding of their world and motivations for travel.”

New Breaks Are A Breath Of Fresh Air

Posted on February 3, 2016

New Breaks Are A Breath Of Fresh Air

A new range of woodland-based lodge breaks for those looking to make the most of the great outdoors has been launched by domestic holiday operator Hoseasons.

Wanderwood is Hoseasons’ seventh new specialist product range in as many years.

Wanderwood is Hoseasons’ seventh specialist product range in as many years and offers families affordable back to nature escapes at six leafy locations across the UK, including Norfolk, Surrey, Somerset, Shropshire, the Lake District and the Northern Highlands.

All lodges are pet-friendly and include complimentary binoculars, umbrellas and wildlife literature. WiFi is also included and hot tubs feature at all locations.
Hoseasons managing director, Simon Altham commented: “Natural escapes that allow people to forget all about the stresses and strains of everyday life and spend time with those who matter most are exactly the type of short breaks our customers are telling us they want. That’s why we’ve put the work into developing Wanderwood and why we hope it will be a popular addition to the Hoseasons product portfolio.”

North Yorkshire Lodges Park Expansion

Posted on February 3, 2016

North Yorkshire Lodges Park Expansion

If the green light is given, the lodges will be sighted on the edge of Bentham Golf Course close to Riverside Caravan Park.

The family owners of a North Yorkshire holiday park have announced expansion plans to help them meet an unprecedented demand for holidays in the Dales.
Riverside Caravan Park in the village of High Bentham hopes to get the go-ahead for an additional 20 luxury lodges on top of the 240 caravan holiday homes it currently provides.
People staying in the new holiday lodges, says the family, could boost visitor spending in the area by more than half a million pounds annually.
Thomas Marshall, whose father Bateman first started welcoming camping guests on his farm in 1969, said rural North Yorkshire has fast been growing in popularity over recent years.
“This part of North Yorkshire has a strong appeal to those seeking away-from-it-all holidays, and we have always been concerned to help preserve and protect its natural beauty,” said Thomas.
“Our new timber-built lodges will also draw couples and families who enjoy playing golf in a magnificent setting, and increase the overall number of visitors to the High Bentham area. “As well as helping to sustain the 30-plus jobs we have created at the golf course and the park, visitor spending will also benefit other local businesses and the employment they provide.

Sunset Dreams Sitcom Pilot Appeal

Posted on February 3, 2016

Sunset Dreams Sitcom Pilot Appeal

A campaign has been launched to finance the pilot production of a TV new sitcom, based at a holiday park.

Co-creators Mattias Penman and Lydia Hourihan star as Ben and Barbara, the park’s self-proclaimed ‘heads of entertainment’ in the sitcom.

Sunset Dreams is the story of a caravan holiday park facing its twilight years and tells the tale of two hapless but earnest entertainers who live their lives on holiday. The series will follow the resident employees of the crumbling resort as they learn that their Neverland-like park might have to close. Inspired by character comedies like Human Remains and The Royle Family, Sunset Dreams aims to serve up hearty British comedy alongside summer holiday nostalgia.

“There’s something strangely nostalgic about the British caravan holiday park. You can feel a certain yearning for days past,” says Chris Wickett, co-creator and director of the series. “The small-town mentality; the eccentrics who live in caravans all summer, sitting out on plastic furniture sharing cheap wine under the clouds; it’s dreary yet somehow magical.”

The campaign to finance a pilot is running on leading crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, and was launched on the back of a short film version of Sunset Dreams shot last year. The production company Tremendous Pictures is plumbing for £7,500 towards the pilot.

National Operator Expands Portfolio

Posted on February 3, 2016

National Operator Expands Portfolio

Birchington Vale Holiday Park, formerly Two Chimneys, was recently acquired by Park Holidays UK.

Park Holidays UK has recently acquired Two Chimneys Holiday Park in the seaside village of Birchington-on-Sea near Margate in Kent.
Two Chimneys is one of the largest holiday parks on the Kent coast with around 300 privately caravan holiday homes, and 230 touring pitches.
The acquisition brings the number of holiday parks within the Park Holidays UK group to 25, all located in Southern England from Devon in the west to Suffolk in the east.
Already boasting a top five-star tourist board grading, Two Chimneys will now benefit from further substantial investment by the company in its holiday facilities.
It will also be re-christened Birchington Vale Holiday Park to reflect its location in 100 acres of tranquil North Kent countryside.
Tony Clish, director of Park Holidays UK, said that the park was a strategic and important addition to the company’s existing parks portfolio:
“This has been an extremely successful year for our group with an unprecedented number of holiday home sales and lettings,” said Tony.
“Birchington Vale will now allow us to widen even further in 2016 the options available to holidaymakers and holiday home buyers, as well as to touring guests.”