WINNING EXPERIENCES

TURNING RAINY DAYS into revenue opportunities across UK holiday parks.

How redemption arcades are transforming guest engagement across UK holiday destinations...

In today’s competitive hospitality and leisure industry, operators are under increasing pressure to boost guest satisfaction, extend dwell time and maximise on-site spend. One of the most effective—and often underestimated—solutions is the provision of high-quality indoor entertainment.

As the UK climate continues to deliver its fair share of unpredictability, the ability to offer engaging, all-weather attractions is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. For owners and managers of holiday parks, caravan parks, camping and glamping sites, indoor entertainment serves as a vital pillar of year-round appeal.

Families are no longer satisfied with seasonal offerings alone; they expect consistent, memorable experiences regardless of the weather. Rainy afternoons and cooler evenings present an opportunity rather than a challenge—an opportunity to draw guests into vibrant indoor spaces filled with laughter, excitement and nostalgia.

At the heart of this indoor entertainment renaissance lies the enduring charm of arcade amusements. From the unmistakable sound of coins cascading through machines to the anticipation of tickets spilling out after a winning game, arcades continue to captivate all generations.

AN ARCADE HUB where multi-generational guests make lasting memories.

In particular, nostalgic coin pushers have seen a remarkable resurgence, appealing not only to children discovering them for the first time, but also to parents and grandparents reliving fond memories of seaside holidays. Coin pushers offer a simple yet highly engaging gameplay experience.

The tactile nature of inserting coins, timing the drop and watching the gradual build-up towards a potential win creates a sense of suspense that digital-only entertainment often struggles to replicate. For operators, these machines deliver strong and consistent returns, while requiring minimal supervision—making them a smart investment for busy holiday environments.

Complementing coin pushers is the ever-popular redemption arcade model, where gameplay is rewarded with tickets that can be exchanged for prizes. This format taps into a powerful psychological driver: the pursuit of a tangible reward. Whether it’s a small toy, a novelty item or a larger aspirational prize, the ticket system encourages repeat play, longer stays and increased spend per visit.

Crucially, it also creates a shared family experience, as children and adults alike collaborate—or compete—to accumulate tickets. A well-designed arcade space can quickly become a focal point of any holiday park. Bright lighting, engaging soundscapes and a mix of classic and modern machines create an atmosphere that draws guests in and keeps them entertained for hours.

WHERE FRIENDLY COMPETITION meets unforgettable holiday experiences.

Importantly, it also provides a reliable indoor option that operators can promote during off-peak seasons, helping to stabilise revenue throughout the year. Supporting operators in delivering these experiences is UK Amusement Supplies, a trusted name within the industry. With more than 15 years of experience, the company has established itself as one of the leading suppliers of redemption tickets across the UK and Europe, alongside innovative solutions designed to streamline and enhance arcade operations.

“Eyes on the prize” perfectly encapsulates the role that redemption systems play in modern amusement environments. From high-quality tickets to intuitive software, UK Amusement Supplies provides a comprehensive range of products tailored to the needs of operators of all sizes. Their expertise, shaped by working with some of Europe’s largest family entertainment centres, ensures that clients benefit from both reliability and value.

The company’s redemption tickets are produced to the highest standards, featuring double-sided designs, barcoding and sequential numbering. Manufactured using high-quality paper and offering excellent print resolution, these tickets are built for durability and performance in high-traffic environments.

Operators can choose from a wide range of generic designs held in stock for rapid delivery, or opt for custom-designed tickets that reflect their brand identity—an option that comes with no set-up costs when minimum order quantities are met. Beyond tickets, UK Amusement Supplies continues to innovate with products such as the popular “Ticket Monster Ticket Eater.”

HIGH-QUALITY redemption tickets designed for performance and durability.

This eye-catching machine transforms the simple act of counting tickets into an engaging experience in its own right, with high-definition animations and vibrant colours capturing the attention of players. Its success has led many operators to upgrade older machines, with a new model already anticipated for Autumn 2026.

Equally significant is the company’s free prize-shop software, a practical solution designed to bring greater control and efficiency to redemption operations. Easy to use and cost-effective, it enables operators to enhance security, track performance and manage inventory without the need for complex or expensive systems.

For many sites, this software has become an essential tool in maximising the profitability of their arcade offering. Ultimately, the integration of nostalgic coin pushers, ticket-based redemption games and modern support systems creates a compelling indoor entertainment proposition. For holiday park operators, the benefits are clear: increased guest satisfaction, stronger secondary spend and a more resilient business model that performs across all seasons.

As the expectations of holidaymakers continue to evolve, those who invest in engaging indoor experiences will be best positioned to stand out in a crowded market. By combining the timeless appeal of arcade fun with the expertise and products offered by industry specialists like UK Amusement Supplies, operators can ensure that their guests remain entertained, whatever the weather—and keep them coming back year after year.

UK Amusement Supplies
01253 868 868
www.ukamusementsupplies.co.uk

A NORFOLK COASTAL CLASSIC

Blending tradition, variety, and year-round family-run excellence on the Hunstanton coast...

 

Located on the beautiful North West Norfolk coastline in Hunstanton, Searles Leisure Resort is one of the region’s most established and well-loved family-run holiday parks.
Known for its welcoming atmosphere, wide range of accommodation, and strong sense of tradition, the resort continues to attract families, couples, and holiday home owners seeking a classic British seaside escape with modern comforts.
Set against the backdrop of Norfolk’s sweeping coastline and famously sunny microclimate, Searles offers a complete holiday experience where guests can relax, explore, and enjoy a wide variety of on-site facilities and activities.

 

A TRUE FAMILY-RUN COASTAL RESORT
At the heart of Searles is its identity as a long-standing family business. This heritage is evident throughout the park, from the warm welcome guests receive on arrival to the ongoing focus on quality, care, and consistency across all areas of the resort.
The park is also a significant local employer, with up to 250 staff members working across the site depending on seasonal demand. This workforce plays a vital role in maintaining the resort’s high standards across accommodation, entertainment, dining, maintenance, and guest services.
This strong team structure ensures that whether guests are staying for a weekend break or a longer summer holiday, they benefit from a seamless and well-supported experience.

SEARLES LEISURE RESORT offers a traditional seaside escape on the North West Norfolk coast.

A WIDE RANGE OF ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
Searles Leisure Resort offers one of the most diverse accommodation selections in the region, catering to a wide variety of holiday preferences and budgets. The resort features 153 holiday hire units, including well-appointed lodges and comfortable holiday homes designed to provide a home-from-home experience close to the sea.
For guests seeking a more flexible or traditional outdoor stay, Searles also offers dedicated touring and camping facilities, including pitches for tents and tourers. These areas are popular with returning visitors who enjoy the freedom of outdoor holidays combined with access to resort amenities. In addition, the resort provides camping pods, offering an elevated camping experience that bridges the gap between traditional camping and lodge-style comfort.
These are particularly popular with families and couples looking for something a little different while still enjoying the outdoor environment. This mix of accommodation types ensures that Searles appeals to a broad audience — from first-time campers to long-standing holiday homeowners.

A complete holiday experience where guests can relax, explore, and enjoy on-site activities.

LEISURE, ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT
Searles Leisure Resort continues to enhance its guest experience with a wide and varied programme of activities designed to suit all ages and interests. Among the most popular recent additions are outdoor cinema experiences, which offer guests the chance to enjoy films under the stars in a relaxed and social setting.
This has quickly become a highlight of the seasonal entertainment calendar. Another standout activity is laser clay shooting, which adds a more adventurous and unique offering to the resort’s leisure programme. These experiences reflect Searles’ commitment to providing more than just accommodation, focusing instead on creating memorable and engaging holidays.
Alongside these, the resort continues to offer a full programme of family-friendly entertainment, ensuring there is always something happening on site throughout the season. Looking ahead, Searles is also developing a new range of safari-style bell tents, which will introduce a fresh glamping option to the park.
This addition reflects the growing popularity of experiential outdoor stays and will further diversify the resort’s already extensive accommodation offering.

SIDNEY THE SEALION AND HIS FRIENDS are always ready to make every guest smile, bringing fun, laughter, and unforgettable holiday memories at Searles!

A RESORT THAT CONTINUES TO EVOLVE
While Searles has a long and proud history as a traditional seaside holiday park, it continues to evolve in response to changing guest expectations.
Recent operational developments, including improved team facilities and enhanced infrastructure, have helped support a more efficient and guest-focused environment behind the scenes. With up to 250 staff working across the resort, this investment in people and systems plays an important role in maintaining the high standards for which Searles is known.
However, at its core, the resort remains focused on delivering enjoyable, high-quality holidays in a relaxed coastal setting — something it has done successfully for generations.

THE RESORT CONTINUES to invest in enhancing guest experiences across all areas of the park.

OWNERSHIP AND LONG-STAY APPEAL
In addition to short breaks and touring holidays, Searles is also a popular destination for holiday home ownership. The resort offers a dedicated ownership community, with a strong sense of belonging among owners who return year after year.
The introduction of a dedicated sales showground further enhances this offering, allowing prospective owners to explore available options in a more structured and accessible way.
This focus on ownership helps strengthen the resort’s long-term community feel and ensures a consistent base of returning guests who are deeply connected to the park.

DIVE INTO FUN at the swimming pool facilities, where guests can splash, relax, and make the most of every moment of their holiday.

THE NORFOLK COASTAL EXPERIENCE
One of Searles’ greatest strengths is its location. Hunstanton, often known as “Sunny Hunny,” is one of the East of England’s most popular seaside destinations, offering traditional charm, sandy beaches, and stunning sunsets over the Wash.
Guests staying at Searles benefit not only from the resort’s facilities but also from easy access to Norfolk’s wider attractions, including coastal walks, nature reserves, and nearby historic towns and villages.
This combination of resort-based amenities and regional exploration makes Searles a strong all-round holiday destination.

 

A LASTING COASTAL FAVOURITE
Searles Leisure Resort continues to stand out as one of Norfolk’s leading holiday parks thanks to its combination of scale, variety, and strong family values. Its ability to balance tradition with modern guest expectations ensures it remains relevant in a competitive and evolving holiday park market.
From its wide range of accommodation options and diverse activity programme to its strong sense of community and coastal location, Searles offers a complete holiday experience that appeals across generations.
As it continues to evolve, one thing remains unchanged — its commitment to delivering memorable seaside holidays in one of the UK’s most iconic coastal settings.

Searles Leisure Resort
01485 534211
www.searles.co.uk

A WIDE RANGE of accommodation ensures Searles caters for families, couples, and returning owners alike.

DARING DEVON HOLIDAY PARK DROP-IN

DARING DEVON HOLIDAY PARK DROP-IN

AN EAGLE-EYED VIEW of the Red Arrows parachute display team visit to Ladram Bay.

Eighty years of providing seaside holidays on the Devon coast were marked this summer by the family owners of Ladram Bay Holiday Park in Budleigh Salterton.

The celebrations climaxed in a special birthday event which saw holiday guests join the park team and members of the local community in a weekend of festivities. Dropping in on the fun were members of the Red Arrows parachute display team who made a spectacular appearance after a daring skydive from over 3000-feet above the park.

Ladram Bay is possibly the oldest holiday park in Britain to have remained under the same family’s ownership for such a length of time. It was in 1943 that farmer Bill Carter and his wife Margaret decided to allow Scouts to pitch up on their front field amid some of Devon’s loveliest countryside.

Eight decades on, Ladram Bay now welcomes customers from across the world, and provides one of the West Country’s best equipped parks for family holidays.

Ten Year Holiday Milestone

Ten Year Holiday Milestone

Since the partnership between Canvas Holidays and the Family Holiday Association began back in 2009, 450 families, struggling with terrible circumstances, have been gifted a much-needed short break at the seaside, or local day out.
The funds have been raised solely through customer donations at the point of booking a Canvas Holiday and staff fundraising activities, both on Canvas campsites throughout Europe and at the company’s head office in Dunfermline.
The short breaks offered by the charity enable individual families to spend a few nights in a caravan at a holiday park at the British seaside.
Michael Thompson, International Call Centre Manager at Canvas Holidays said “We are so happy to have been able to help these families over the past ten years and we’d like to thank all our staff and customers for supporting the Family Holiday Association and the invaluable work they do.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Family Holiday Association in the future.” To help Canvas Holidays cover the costs of keeping the caravan in tip-top condition, enabling even more families to have a vital break for another year, you can donate via www.justgiving.com/campaign/Canvas

Seaside Lodge Ultimate Location

Seaside Lodge Ultimate Location

Seaside Lodge Ultimate Location 1Speculation is rife as to whether an ultimate fantasy escape at Sandhills Holiday Park in Dorset, is the most expensive holiday lodge in the UK. It takes the form of a high-tech £420,000 bespoke luxury lodge with one of the most picturesque beach-side settings to be found anywhere in Britain. This autumn, the keys to the holiday home were officially handed over to its extremely proud new owner. The visually striking and lavishly equipped lodge is the result of a design collaboration with Prestige which was sparked by Park Holidays UK earlier this year. It arose when Sandhills had to opportunity to develop a new holiday home on the sea-facing front of the park, just a few paces from the sandy beach at Mudeford near Christchurch. According to Park Holidays UK director Tony Clish, it was agreed that the breathtaking position warranted the creation of a unique and very special holiday home: “Only very rarely do pitches become available on Sandhills’ front row, and we wanted the new owners to enjoy surroundings that were just as amazing as the views,” he said. “Together with Prestige, we developed a blueprint which included large areas of glazing to give the outlook star billing from the interior, but maintained a warm and homely feel. “Natural materials, including timber, are a big feature together with ocean-inspired colours and decoration to evoke the glorious seascape vista,” added Tony.

MODERN DAY
Substantial investment in Sandhills by Park Holidays UK has introduced many new modern-day facilities to the park including a country club, gymnasium, and a heated outdoor pool. The split-level 40ft x 20ft lodge has a large elevated lounge, two spacious bedrooms, modern kitchen and bathrooms, and a 3502 ft decking surrounded by infinity glass. Its new owner is haulage entrepreneur John Dean who, with his partner Carol can now spend leisure time away from their Salisbury home in surroundings he describes as “simply stunning”. John, aged 79, founded his distribution company almost 50 years ago with a single truck, and grew the business to serve both national and international customers. His love of the sea led him to acquire a 65ft motor cruiser and then, last year, a holiday home at Sandhills Holiday Park with a view of Christchurch Harbour. Having made new friends at the park and found a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere very much to his liking, John was quick to seize his chance when the sea-front lodge became available. For buyers on a more modest budget, holiday homes at the park start from around £150,000 – in an area where wooden beach huts are regularly reported as changing hands for up to £300,000. Meanwhile, the park has just released a second bespoke holiday home on its front row which features a roof-top garden – and a slightly more accessible price tag of £399,950.

Sandhills
Tel. 01425 200744
www.ParkHolidays.com