JOINED-UP THINKING

Posted on August 2, 2022

JOINED-UP THINKING

A complete park management and booking system...

Visitors to Folly Farm, Pembrokeshire’s award-winning tourist attraction of 30 years, often commented that you needed two days to do everything on offer. With 100 acres of land to the North of the attraction, the team listened to their visitors and set about creating their own Folly Farm Holiday Park. Offering a wide range of accommodation for the family market to suit all budgets, to date Folly Farm boasts a 43 pitch-touring park, a 20-pitch campsite, four Showman’s Wagons and six fairground themed luxury lodges with hot tubs. A further eight luxury lodges and six safari tents will open soon.

LOCKDOWN LAUNCH
“We were confident there would be huge interest in our accommodation offering from our strong and loyal customer base but then the pandemic hit and we found ourselves launching our touring park after the first lockdown in July 2020 with just three weeks’ notice,” explains Zoe Wright, Head of Marketing “We achieved a 76 per cent occupancy rate that first August and followed that in August 2021 with 94 per cent.” Ease-of-use was top of the list when Folly Farm was selecting a booking system so the team partnered with the highly recommended GemaPark . GemaPark has exceeded our expectations in terms of a booking system for our touring park and campsite,” confirms Zoe.

“In fact, we also import into GemaPark partner bookings for accommodation we don’t sell directly, because it provides top line booking, arrivals and performance information in a much more user- friendly way than our booking partners’ systems,” she adds. GemaPark is used by many members of the team at Folly Farm. Holiday park wardens use it to generate arrivals reports and to check if customers are returners so they can welcome them back. Office staff confirm all the bookings and chase payments while the marketing team can easily upload or change tariffs and run property performance reports and push any availability. The finance team can easily reconcile payments, run spend-per-head reports and financial forecasts.

EASE OF USE
“Every member of staff finds it easy to use and it’s one of the few software systems we use that the staff don’t moan about,” says Zoe. “Reporting was a key consideration as we’d little to no experience of running accommodation so to be able to easily query occupancy rates, property performance for our different accommodation options and check financial performance has been pivotal to the future development of the holiday park,”

Zoe continues. “CRM was also important as we were building an accommodation audience from scratch. “We would happily recommend GemaPark to anyone looking for a booking solution for their touring site or campsite and the fact they can easily integrate with leading booking partners is a bonus.”

Netguides/GemaPark
T: 01983 282420
W: www.netguides.co.uk
W: www.gemapark.co.uk

CURTAIN RAISER – Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show 2021

Posted on October 28, 2021

CURTAIN RAISER

A ONE-STOP HUB of business inspiration, the Holiday Park Innovation show makes a welcome return this November.

CURTAIN RAISER

You will need to plan ahead to maximise the potential of your visit to The Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show which makes a welcome return.
The not-to-be-missed event will be opening its doors at the NEC Birmingham on Wednesday and Thursday November 10 and 11.
Europe’s leading event for the most ambitious holiday park and resort owners, the show runs alongside the Farm Business Innovation Show, Family Attraction Expo, Leisure Food & Beverage Expo, Leisure Toy & Gift and the Leisure Transport Show.
With over 1000 exhibitors, 500 seminars and an outstanding schedule of keynote speakers, it will be benefcial to know exactly what to expect from the show and plan ahead, so if you want to make the most out of the two days, keep reading!
The show offers a unique opportunity to see the latest industry products in action in the Live Demo area. Be sure to make some time to visit this area and possibly even get involved yourself! You can see the live demo timetable on the website under ‘What’s On?’.
This year, the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show is launching its frst series of panel debates, where the leading industry experts will be discussing the latest industry topics. This will give you the opportunity to finally ask your burning questions and hear the answers live and in person. From renewable energy to marketing tactics to enhance your holiday park or resort, you do not want to miss this opportunity! Find the full schedule on the website under ‘What’s On?’ and look out for times to incorporate some of these incredible discussions into your day!

THE SHOW OFFERS a unique opportunity to see the latest industry products in action.

EXPERT PANEL
Industry experts from some of the biggest names and associations within the industry will be available at the show to provide their insights into the industry, knowledge, advice and tips and tricks to support you on your innovation journey. From the likes of former MP, Nick De Bois - Visit England, TV Presenter, Author & Designer, Max McMurdo, and Justin Reid from TripAdvisor, listen to the hottest topics and latest trends in the industry right now. Keep an eye out on the website under ‘Speakers’ for the full timetable, coming soon!

INNOVATION AWARDS
The Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Awards will be recognising the companies who have gone above and beyond within the industry, celebrating those that are combining an unprecedented blend of innovation, creativity and uniqueness in their work and customer offering.
It is very important to pre-register for your tickets before attending the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show this year, so register for your free tickets now before they are all gone! Doing so now also means you will receive your printed show guide delivered straight to your door, as well as access to the digital show guide, which includes the floor plan, full agenda, and everything you need to know about the show.
Log on to www.holidayparkshow.co.uk to check on latest information including vital covid guidance.

HOLIDAY PARK INNOVATION has earned itself as Europe’s leading event for the most ambitious holiday park and resort owners.

TRAVELLING TO THE NEC
If you decide to drive to the NEC, it is just 8 miles east of Birmingham city centre, and there are 16,500 spaces available in the car park, including plenty of helpful signage and a traffic team to ensure you get to the right area for your event. It is also very easy to catch the train as the NEC is right next to Birmingham’s international railway station. Visit the website and click on ‘Show Info’ to see full details about travel and parking, as well as bus & coach and taxi services.

OPENING TIMES
The Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show will open at 9am on Wednesday 10th November, and close at 5pm. The event will reopen at 9am again on Thursday 11th and close at 4:30pm. Make sure you go and register for your free tickets now before they are all gone and be on the lookout for your printed show guide so that you can plan ahead and make the most out of your time at the event!

A-Z OF MUST SEE EXHIBITORS

STAND 6153
Selling your Park?
BusinessesForSale.com is the world’s most popular website for buying or selling a business.
Established in 1996, the website is an international marketplace of businesses for sale. We provide a cost-effective route to market for business owners and their representatives and a one stop shop for aspiring entrepreneurs and business buyers.
The website is the world’s largest businesses for sale marketplace, attracting over 1.2 million buyers and sellers every month.
Whether you’re looking to get in, grow or get out, BusinessesForSale.com has everything you need. Come and speak to the team on the stand or browse a selection of our current opportunities at our Wall of Business.

Businessesforsale.com
www.businessesforsale.com

STAND 1140
Leading Wifi Provider
Reliable WI-FI is essential for your business to gain a competitive edge. It allows your guests to stay in contact with friends and family, whilst also keeping up to date with work emails whilst away. Today, your guests expect a WI-FI connection that is swift and secure. We pride ourselves on supplying effcient hard-wired WI-FI solutions and excellent customer service from our 7-day support team and our qualifed professionals with years of experience. Camping Connect ensures the provision of secure, family friendly Internet access in line with EU legislation and is a `Friendly WI-FI` registered WI-FI provider.

Camping Connect
01792 277 231
campingconnect.co.uk

STAND 7131
Washroom Solutions
Cubicle Centre has been manufacturing toilet cubicles, wall panels and washroom panel products for over 20 years. We offer a range of washroom cubicles and wall panel products to suit any budget from our Pennine range where function and price is a factor, through to our vandal resistant Cairngorm range.
At Holiday Park and Innovation 2021 we will be demonstrating our water proof Cairngorm range of toilet and shower cubicles along with made to measure vanity units with both recessed and semi recessed basin units.

Cubicle Centre
01484 457600
washroomcubicles.co.uk

STAND 5132
Futureproof Your Business
Leading provider of IT business solutions to the Holiday Home & Leisure Resort industry, Elite Dynamics, will be a specialist speaker at this year’s Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show. MD Jamaine Campbell and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Lead Consultant, Andrew Blackie will be giving the audience key insights into how to futureproof and drive forward their holiday park businesses using readily available standard Microsoft Dynamics Technologies.
The team will showcase some of the newest and most innovative technology available on the market today, all of which has been specifcally designed for our industry and to future-proof your business.

Elite Dynamics
0161 641 8926
elitedynamics.co.uk

STAND 5091
Cloud Based Solutions
GemaPark is an internet-based Booking System designed to help you manage self-catering, glamping pods, and touring and camping.
From the interactive availability chart you can see all your bookings, blackout dates, add bookings and check availability and live pricing. An arrival day dashboard shows you today’s arrivals and departures including unit clean status. Online booking and online check-in can be integrated with your website with no commission to pay. Standard customer documents and ad-hoc emails can be sent directly from the system.
Netguides ensure GemaPark is PCI compliant and GDPR compliant. Whether you’re starting out or wanting to make life easier come and see us on our stand.

GemaPark
01983 282420
gemapark.co.uk

STAND 7180
Bring OnThe Heat!
Visitors are invited to stand 7180 where the Golden Coast team will be on hand to demonstrate its popular heat pump for pools and hot tubs.
Delivering output up to 13 times greater than an electric heater, a Golden Coast inverter-driven heat pump operates on a low current without compromising on performance and ensures whisper-quiet noise levels as low as 25dB. It even operates in low temperatures, enabling parks to continue offering enjoyable hot tub experiences all year round.
By using less electricity, the energy-efficient heat pump can help cut a park’s carbon footprint whilst saving thousands on running costs and allowing a faster return on investment.

Golden Coast
01271 378100
goldenc.com

STAND 8112
Stand Out From The Crowd!
Holiday Park Scene magazine is an unmissable read for anyone involved in the management of a Holiday Park, Campsite, Caravan Park & Glampsite. At least 5,000 copies of Holiday Park Scene are distributed four times annually to key personnel in all aspects of the holiday park industry across the UK and Eire.
Offering the inside track on the latest market news and reports covering all aspects of holiday park management.
We’re not just big in PRINT we have huge online coverage through our WEBSITE, EMAIL NEWSLETTERS & SOCIAL MEDIA!
If you would like to be featured in the magazine, we would love to hear for you.

Holiday Park Scene Magazine
01353 666663
holidayparkscene.com

STAND: 6081

WiFi Game-Changer
Holiday Parks no longer have to put up with nightmare broadband connections thanks to the introduction of ParkLink from Vital Wifi which enables super-fast speeds ‘Direct to the Van’ at a fraction of the cost of fibre.
It uses revolutionary technology designed to deliver consistently high-quality broadband across wide open remote outdoor sites.
ParkLink from Vital Wifi is a dedicated wireless package for holiday parks that provides fibre-like Internet speeds at a significantly lower cost of ownership without the disruption of installing fibre infrastructure.
New game-changing Internet distribution technology, used by ParkLink, is making reliable, park-wide high-speed Internet affordable and accessible to campsites, caravan and holiday parks.
Come and see us on our stand for more information.

ParkLink – Powered by Vital Wifi
0333 3583 111
parklink.co.uk

STAND 9213
Park Protect Scheme
The Park Protect scheme provides commercial insurance for more than 200 caravan parks up and down the country.
Having spent 15 years building strong relationships in the caravan and holiday park market you can be sure Park Protect will give you – the park owner – the protection you deserve.
Whatever type of leisure business you operate you need to stay up-to-date with legal changes, health & safety legislation, and issues that can affect your leisure property. Our knowledge and experience as specialist insurance brokers for the leisure industry means we tailor individual solutions to protect your employees and visitors.

PIB Insurance Brokers
01422 358 525
pib-insurance.com

STAND 10161
Award Winning Waterplay
Established in 1966, Ustigate have specialised in the design, build and maintenance of inclusive indoor and outdoor water play facilities for 55 years and have completed over 100 aquatic play installations to date. Ustigate Waterplay is excited to introduce over 300 products that promote active play; all designed and developed by their global leading aquatic partner of eighteen years, Vortex Aquatic Structures International Inc. The portfolio offers theming and an aquatic play favourite for every age and ability; incorporating climbing, sliding and multiple interactive activities via collections such as award winning Water Journey™, Elevations™ and Explora.

Ustigate Waterplay
01322 424445
ustigatewaterplay.co.uk

STAND 6270
Making Park Payments Easy
Make it quick and easy for your guests to pay for on-site facilities with a VMC cashless payment system. A seamless tap and go payment experience really adds value for the customer and is an opportunity to incentivise and increase visitor spend.
Our payment readers are ideal for catering and bar areas but can also be fitted to almost any unattended machine making them ideal for parking, charging, power, amusements, pool tables, laundry, bike hire, vending, and much more.
For parks wanting to incentivise and reward customers for onsite spend, VMC can also provide a private onsite payment system using branded cards, wristbands or biometrics.

VMC (UK) Ltd
01926 816400
vmcltd.co.uk

STAND 7242
Family Fun For Everyone!
For 50 years, World of Rides have been the leading UK manufacturer of children’s leisure rides in the United Kingdom.
From our factory in County Durham we supply major shopping centres, retailers, visitor attractions, farm parks, holiday parks, garden centres, family entertainment centres and hospitality centres both nationally and internationally, as well as leading single-site operators.
Our vast knowledge and experience ensures that every ride we manufacture and sell is rigorously tested both in the factory and on-site before being released for sale.
Come and see us on our stand for further information.

World of Rides
0191 49 20 999
worldofrides.com

BLUE SKY THINKING

Posted on September 7, 2020

BLUE SKY THINKING

The cloud holds the power for switched on holiday business...

If we have learned anything from the global pandemic crisis, and its impact on our holiday business, it is surely the importance of access to user-friendly, joined-up management systems. From on-line marketing to ‘click to confirm’ buttons, as the Covid-19 curtain was raised, a booking stampede was triggered with demand exceeding availability by an estimated three-fold. Switched-on operators now boast sophisticated monitoring systems to alert them to booking trends. The big players will know from geographic triggers which destinations are top of the holiday pops. Equally, from tourer pitches to luxury lodges, they will have a close eye on the trends for holiday accommodation requests. Like all aspects of business, knowledge is the key to success. Capitalising on the gold rush, those operators were quick to raise prices as demand spiralled. Constantly monitoring those graphs, with performance alerts, they are more akin to stock market traders than the traditional bucket and spade brigade. It’s more important than ever that park operators keep pace with technology – especially when it comes to maximising online bookings and sales.

USER-FRIENDLY

In today’s post Covid-19 market, sharp and effective websites with user-friendly online booking systems, search engine optimisation, e-blasts, apps and cookie-based promotion – the e-marketing revolution is in full flow with the majority of holiday businesses investing or ignoring at their peril. Net Guides are the brains behind one of the market’s most popular systems, GemaPark.

“Online bookings are so important in saving time and increasing revenue,” advises Netguides Managing Director, Dawn Bee. “In the new socially distanced world of today the system should provide online check-in, easy ways to keep in touch with customers if things change, and the ability for customers to manage their bookings and rebook if required,” Dawn adds. “Make sure they are easy for your customers, integrate well with your website, and give you the flexibility to sell what you want.”

Still not convinced? A huge proportion research their holidays on line before going on to click booking links to confirm their holidays. Google data shows that 45% of UK travellers feel comfortable researching, planning and booking trips to new destinations using only their mobile smart phone. More than a third, 33%, of consumers say they’ve used a virtual travel assistant to help organise and plan their next trip. 72% of mobile phone bookings happen within 48 hours of last-minute Google searches. Those booking systems cannot just be business-friendly they need to be user-friendly. For a visitor to the website, the online booking system should be straightforward and easy to use, and clearly provide the visitor with all the information they need to book their stay. It must be logical, with quality pictures and descriptions so that customers can make their preferred selection.

LOOKS MATTER

Having the booking page designed in the same style as the website and having the payment taken directly from the website page considerably helps this, and directly increases the number of online bookings made. Customers like to feel comfortable and secure as they navigate around the website booking pages. Equally, the system should be just as simple for the reservation team to use, making it easy for them to carry out tasks such as taking payment, amend bookings, calculate tariffs, generate ‘remote access’ arrival and departure reports and undertake online marketing initiatives. A key advantage of having a webbased booking system that operates off one platform, is that when an online booking is made it immediately goes into the management system, therefore avoiding mistakes and errors.

CASHING IN

Another area technology that has started to see major take up by caravan and holiday parks, arcades and family entertainment centres worldwide is the cashless payment system. The system replaces traditional methods of transaction like tokens, coins, and admission tickets with a simple card. Guests use the plastic card, similar to a credit card, to make all of their transactions on site. The cards can be loaded with any amount, and once swiped at an activity, the appropriate value is deducted. The card system goes well beyond a payment method, but includes a full suite of products designed to handle all the pay to play activities, as well as the monitoring of customers activity and games performance. Park operators benefit from the endless marketing and pricing opportunities that become available, while at the same time reduce operating costs and improve cash control. With all customers using cards for their activity within the site or across multiple sites of the same chain, operators have the opportunity to profile their customers and create marketing promotions and packages based on the real spending habits. This in turn can generate more return visits and higher spend during each visit. Ignorance may be bliss but it will be the switched-on holiday park businesses, who embrace new technology, that stand to reap the rewards and benefits of multiple net gains.

Just One Click

Posted on September 10, 2019

Just One Click

The case for running an on-line booking system almost speaks for itself.
Because holiday destinations that move to full online bookings, typically, see increased in turnover – and profit -- of 40-50%.
You can cut overheads too. Parks who change to automated systems, regularly reduce staff administration costs by 30%.
I call that a win, win situation. Yet many older or smaller parks still work with wall charts, diaries and spreadsheets. So why the reluctance to make the switch?
“For a significant percentage, they have a small park and it is always full and they feel they don’t need a bespoke booking systems,” explains Dawn Bee, who runs one of the industry’s most popular systems in GemaPark.
“For others, it is a reluctance to lose the ability to talk to -- and vet -- their customers,” Dawn adds.
Allocate is a flexible online booking system you can embed in your existing website that is ideal for holiday home lettings and campsite bookings.
“There are some campsites that operate under the 28 day rule that don’t believe they would benefit sufficiently from a booking system,” comments Allocate’s Charles Holdsworth.
“Some of these are cash-only sites where few, if any, arrangements are made in advance,” he adds.
“Over the last five years though, the rise of payment systems that do not have a fixed monthly fee has made booking systems far more attractive to the seasonal market, even those with a low turnover.”
Smaller sites can be victims of their own success as they tend to have several lines of business and the time they can devote to each is limited. In this case, the booking system will ease the burden of taking bookings and simplifying all customer interactions.
SEASONAL MARKET
Charles again: “The smallest of customers with just a handful of pitches that takes around 100 bookings a year would find it impractical to operate without an online booking system that make running a small establishment viable. Dawn says smaller business still need to be a step ahead on the competition.
“As the parks around them go online, offering more convenience to the newer web-orientated generation of customers, they will eventually have to follow,” she predicts.
“A booking system will undoubtedly make your life easier but more importantly it makes your customers life easier.
“It’s a question of service, of talking to a new generation of customer in the way they want to communicate. “ The benefits are significant. Customer service can increase massively because the process is consistent for every customer.

Booking documents, welcome letters and other documentation, can all be automated so if there is an issue, you fix it one place and it’s fixed for everyone.
Dawn points out: “Cash flow is better and by automating collection of deposit and balance before arrival, no-shows are massively reduced.” Driving direct bookings is key to maximising returns, she adds: “Without their own booking system, the lion’s share of bookings will have a hefty commission,” Charles emphasises.
“People expect to be able to book online, at any time of day or night. Sites are keen to keep all their bookings in one place, to that end, when they receive calls they will either direct the customer to make the booking online or enter the booking online for them.
As one smaller site operator said: “I’m fed up with all the interruptions to manage phone and email bookings”.
This is a common theme, the amount of time a booking system saves is considerably more than people estimate. Online bookings automate the collection of money too which was always a time -consuming burden.
The management information a good booking system provides is invaluable, whether to manage guest arrivals, to prepare on site services, or to organise third party activities.
An interface to an accounts package is another way a booking system can reduce overheads, there is no need for double entry of data.
The data can also be reviewed to analyse the customer base and booking patterns in order to appropriately focus marketing activity.
But what if the system crashed and the great Internet in the sky lets us down.
Dawn admits, it can happen but urges: “A ‘cloud’ solution is a lot more reliable than your work PC and will have full backups.
“They are very rarely down and then rarely for longer than a few minutes.
“You can still print off daily arrival reports, the night before as a fall back, if you want to.” Unfortunately, nowadays, even the most clued-up of businesses are still vulnerable to a cyber-attack. As a result, the popularity of cyber-specific insurance products is growing.
While existing insurance policies such as commercial property, business interruption or professional indemnity insurance may provide some elements of cover against cyber risks, businesses are increasingly buying specialised cyber insurance policies to supplement their existing insurance arrangements, particularly if they:
• hold sensitive customer details such as names and addresses or banking information
• rely heavily on IT systems and websites to conduct their business
• process payment card information as a matter of course.
Many insurers, including Compass, include technical assistance with managing a breach as part of the insurance policy.
Adding-on cyber insurance cover is widely available, but as with all insurance, quality can vary and from an economical perspective, it would be sensible for parks to seek out add on products that ‘wrap around’ their existing cover.
CYBER PROTECTION
First-party cyber insurance covers your business’s own assets.
Third-party cyber insurance covers the assets of others too, typically your customers.
With reliable booking systems out there, and supplied with reliable safety nets, we would urge you to take the leap for your 2020 bookings – and reap the rewards.

COMPANY CONTACTS
Allocate
Tel. 01732 316613
www.allocate.co.uk
Compass
Tel. 01452 511430
www.compass.co.uk
Gemapark
Tel. 01983 282420
www.gemapark.co.uk

Just One Click

Posted on October 13, 2016

Just One Click

You cannot afford to miss out on online bookings advises Ashleigh Mackenzie…

Eight out of ten Brits now book their holidays online.

With eight out of ten Brits choosing to book their holidays online, it’s now more important than ever for parks to have their finger on the pulse in terms of efficient booking management systems. Holiday parks are increasingly looking for greater functionality from their booking and management systems. The ultimate goal is to provide online customers with a quality system that is simple and easy to use, that will not only save time but will also generate more bookings for their business.

“A sophisticated system needs to sit at the heart of any forward thinking holiday accommodation business. It is the glue that holds everything together,” says Wendy Radford-Gaby of Anytime Booking. “Just make sure the booking and management software you choose helps you to solve real life problems at your holiday park.” She adds: “Don’t try to retro-fit a software designed for another market. Use technology that understands you.”

Park owners can keep pace with technology by having a web based management and booking system which operates from one platform, so when an online booking is made it immediately goes into their management system avoiding mistakes and errors.

EARLY BIRD

“September to March is a busy time for system suppliers as it is naturally when new customers come on board. So get in as early as you can to have time to familiarise yourself fully with the system before your busy season starts,” advises Dawn Bee, Managing Director of Netguides.

Netguides offer GemaPark, a cloud park reservation management system with online bookings. The optional park website package gives holiday parks a modern responsive, optimised website with content management, to promote their park and provide integrated online booking. “Our solutions are fully hosted, backed up and managed and we offer 24/7 support,” says Dawn.
“We pride ourselves on our responsiveness and customer service and are constantly listening to customer feedback to make our products easier and more efficient for customers to use.” The system starts from £60 per month for 60 pitches or 12 statics and scales up. The prices include hosting, backup and support so there are no surprise extra costs.
Says Dawn: “With GemaPark we have new connectivity with other providers such as Hoseasons and Pitchup, we have lots more features to support holiday home parks and as always we have development in our online booking widgets to increase usability and conversion.”

In terms of setup, there is a data gathering stage where Netguides get to understand your park, what you offer and how you sell it. The company will then configure the system for you loading your units, pitches and prices and provide the link or widgets to your web developers to add the online booking elements to your website. Full staff training is offered to get the team up and running with the system.
“You will never realise just how important until you experience it,” comments Dawn.

“It improves customer experience, increases the number of sales and greatly reduces administration time. This allows you time to work on your business and then business growth and enjoyment in running the business increase significantly – and that’s important.”

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Net Gains

Posted on September 8, 2015

Net Gains

Almost 80 per cent of Brits now use the internet to research their holidays.

Revolutionising the way that we live, work, shop, and communicate, startling figures from the National Office of Statistics revealed that 38 million adults in the UK accessed the internet every day in 2014. What’s more, 74 per cent of people bought goods or services online, up from 53 per cent in 2008.

The tourism industry is continuing to evolve around technology, with increasing access to information and services available at the customers’ finger tips. Guests now expect to see clear and representative images of accommodation and resort facilities online before they book. They want to read reviews, share other people’s experiences of the resort so they can decide whether or not it meets with their needs. And they expect to be able to do all this online, using whatever device they choose, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet PC, handheld computer or laptop.

“Users are booking when it’s convenient for them,” says Dawn Bee of website and business system provider Netguides. “Younger users don’t want to talk to anyone to book, it’s just not familiar behaviour for them anymore so they feel uncomfortable doing it. This means you are missing out on a lot of customers if you don’t take online bookings.”

Niall Norris of management and booking software CampManager concurs: “The number of holiday parks and campsites taking bookings online has increased dramatically in recent years,”

“We can see similar trends from all our clients across the UK, Ireland and France, that the proportion of bookings being made online is now averaging between 50 to 75 per cent of all bookings.”

The number of holiday parks and campsites taking bookings online has increased dramatically in recent years. Pic: CampManager.

Keeping up-to-date with the latest technology by moving to a computerised booking and management system may seem daunting, but Niall stresses the importance of moving with the times: “The right booking and management system will actually save you money, generate more business and free up so much of your time.

“We recommend that all parks to update their online booking pages and websites to be Mobile and Tablet compatible. We see clear trends that over 50 per cent of online bookings are now being made on Tablet and Smartphone devices.” He adds: “To ensure that you are catering for these customers and not losing out on bookings, it is important to address this immediately.”

CampManager offers a complete end to end process for managing a caravan park or campsite. Covering all aspects of site management, booking management and online booking, the system is user-friendly and can be tailored to suit the individual needs of each park.

“It is important to remember that not all visitors to your website have stayed at your park before. Therefore it is hugely important that your website is maintained as much as the park,” advises Niall. “An old and tired looking website, with poor quality photos will not attract new customers. Also a poor booking system that takes a long time just to check availability and does not provide alternative dates will frustrate your customers and potentially drive them elsewhere.”

The biggest change to online bookings that Dawn Bee of Netguides has seen in recent years is the move to mobile responsive online booking. Dawn explains: “There has been a surge in the popularity of mobile responsive bookings following Google’s emphasis in their search algorithm for mobile search and the growing use of mobile devices to book online.”

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