UK tourism

Booming Sales

Posted on November 3, 2017

Booming SalesBooming Sales

Figures released by the National Caravan Council (NCC) reveal the total number of new motorhome and caravan owners had risen to over 56,000 nationwide.

The ‘staycationing’ boom was reflected at the recent West Midlands Caravan and Motorhome Show with motorhome registrations in the year to the end of June up by 14 per cent to 13,162; new caravan holiday homes and lodges were up by nine per cent to 21,214, and touring caravans were up by seven per cent to 22,185.

The nine-day show, which ran from September 30th to October 8th, attracted around 15,000 visitors with displays at award winning Shrewsbury dealership Salop Leisure showcasing the latest innovations for 2018 with the launch of exciting new models.

Tourism Tax Is Backward Business Step

Posted on November 3, 2017

Tourism Tax Is Backwards Business Step

Tourism Tax Is Backwards

The owner of a major holiday parks group in Wales has told ministers they risk devastating the visitor economy if they push ahead with a tourism tax.

Thomas Scarrott, owner of Vale Holiday Parks, said that such a move would undermine all the fantastic work done by the Welsh Government to encourage tourism.

Thomas warned that a visitor levy would hit not just accommodation providers such as his seven parks but would also have a damaging knock-on effect on the many businesses which rely on the tourism industry such as pubs, shops, cafes and visitor attractions. “Many of these are smaller family-owned businesses such as Vale Holidays which sustain thousands of jobs throughout Wales,” said Thomas.

“Reported industry figures show that tourism is worth around £5bn to the Welsh economy, with more than 10 million overnight stays being recorded annually.” He highlighted this year’s £5m Visit Wales’ Year of Legends campaign which, he said: “Did a great job in promoting the many different experiences on offer to Wales’ holiday visitors. The only possible consequence of a tourism tax, would be fewer visitors and an additional administration burden on tourism businesses.”

Thomas’s family has been involved with the parks industry for almost 50 years, providing holiday homes to rent and to own, and pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents. Ministers say they will decide early next year on which of the four possible taxes they would prefer to implement, subject to go-ahead from the UK Government. Meanwhile, the park industry body BH&HPA and many of its park members in Wales are making urgent representations to Welsh ministers and assembly members.

Acclaim For Former Dairy Farmers

Posted on November 3, 2017

Acclaim For Former Dairy Farmers

Acclaim For Former Dairy FarmersA family-run holiday business has claimed a double victory at this year’s Rural Business Awards (RBA’s).
Not only did Hoe Grange win the Best Rural Tourism Business category, it also pipped 12 other category winners to be crowned as the Champion of Champions. The Derbyshire farm, which specialises in high quality disabled access, was awarded the prize by Harper Adams University, ahead of runners-up Barleylands Farm Park and Craft Village in the only UK-wide programme dedicated to showcasing the success of rural businesses.
David Brown from Hoe Grange Holidays said: “We started out as dairy farmers but spotted an opportunity to diversify our business and offer a positive experience for people to enjoy the Derbyshire countryside.
“To have our success acknowledged at the Rural Business Awards is testament to all our hard work and to the people who have supported us along the way. It’s obviously a great honour to be named as Champion of Champions at this year’s ceremony and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for our business.”
When David and Felicity Brown first investigated self-catering tourism to supplement their dairy farm income in 2005, market research showed there was a large supply of standard self-catering properties in the Peak District but a lack of accessible accommodation. Over the past decade Hoe Grange Holidays has become a specialist in accessible accommodation, winning many national awards.

Top Scoring Shropshire Parks

Posted on September 8, 2017

Top Scoring Shropshire Parks

MorrisFive touring caravan parks owned by Shrewsbury-based Morris Leisure based have all achieved a Certificate of Excellence from the traveller review website TripAdvisor.

Stanmore Hall Touring Park at Bridgnorth, Ludlow Touring Park in Ludlow, Oxon Hall Touring Park in Shrewsbury, Riverside Touring Park in Betws-y-Coed and Llanberis Touring Park in Llanberis have all been recognised by TripAdvisor after receiving consistently great reviews from caravanners and motorhome owners over the past year.

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 RBAthird 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

WYWHWish 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-Searlesplus 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

PevenseyNew 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 WEb Wise 1means 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. WEb Wise 2

“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

Haute Cuisine

Posted on September 1, 2017

Haute Cuisine

According to a 2017 report from the Office of National Statistics, Britons are spending more on eating out and short breaks than ever before. Great news for holiday park owners who, post-Brexit, are already reaping the benefits of the staycation trend. Increasingly demanding, UK holidaymakers want a whole lot more than a home away from home.

Cuisine 1

The trend for greater sophistication and refinement in holiday home design is filtering through to modern catering solutions too. A fine dining restaurant might not be the first thought when you think of a holiday park but Islawrffordd Caravan Park is no ordinary holiday park. Owned and run by the Evans Family since 1957, award-winning Islawrffordd provides the very best in quality facilities for its 201 holiday home bases, 75 fully serviced hard standing touring caravan/motorhome plots and 30 camping pitches.

Situated in the village of Talybont, at the southern end of the magnificent Snowdonia National Park coastline, Islawrffordd has seen considerable recent investment. In a park blessed with luxurious leisure facilities, even the toilet block of the touring area boasts under-floor heating. In 2015, a £500,000 investment brought to life a new fine dining experience, Nineteen57 restaurant.

“It was important to give the park bar and restaurant facilities that match the high standards of the rest of the site, explains Jane Evans. “Nineteen57 offers both formal and relaxed areas, and menus that appeal to the widest selection of customer tastes.”

A glance at the fine dining menu is enough to make your mouth water with such delights as pheasant with potato and thyme gratin and Welsh lamb, served with leek and cheddar croquette. Meals are prepared using locally sourced items and a 24 hour notice period for table bookings ensures the absolute freshest ingredients. Cuisine 2

Jane Evans says; “The project has been incredibly successful for both the park and the local area. The park leases the building to chef Sion Wellings. We don’t have the expertise to run such an operation ourselves and outsourcing has given the chance for Sion, a talented local young chef, to have his own business.”

Outsourcing to catering professionals or franchises may be the norm but keeping catering services in-house can have benefits too. “The case for franchising a park’s catering operation can be quite compelling admits Michael Holgate of the Holgates parks group. “For a start, you can say goodbye to a whole host of admin issues, not to mention staffing headaches…but franchising will never happen at Holgates.”

To find out why, and to read more about making the most of 'Haute Cuisine' subscribe to Holiday Park Scene here.