by Holly Tribe
Caravan Club members have been noted as substantial contributors to domestic tourism, spending £400 million in local economies each year.
The Club has identified ten caravanning hotspots where Caravan Club members spent £20 million and over – with boundaries set by constituency borders.
Leading the pack was North Norfolk which received £4.5 million from its three Caravan Club sites and 56 Certified Locations.
The Caravan Club’s Director General Nick Lomas has sent out a personal letter to every MP detailing how much Caravan Club members contribute to each constituency annually, to impress upon each local MP how important caravanning can be as a driver of economic recovery.
Minister for Tourism, MP John Penrose, visited a Club Certified Location in his own constituency Weston-super-Mare in Somerset. Recognising that caravanning is a valuable contributor to revenue created through tourism in the UK, he commented “Caravanning has been a successful and distinctive part of the tourist economy in the UK for more than 100 years.”
And contributions to local economies from caravanners looks set to increase. The Club has reported that not only is membership at an all time high, it is steadily rising above the one million member mark.
Nick Lomas highlighted the ‘vital economic importance’ of domestic tourism, explaining: “Caravanning plays a key role in the tourism mix and it’s the most popular ‘paid for’ holiday accommodation choice in the country, making our members true investors in the UK.”
