By William Coleman
It has been a bit of an odd 3 years since the decision to leave the EU was announced. The GBP has had its ups and downs, the political climate has been, for lack of a better word, shambolic and the future does still seen quite uncertain. But one thing that has remained strong despite all this chaos is the strength of the Great British tourism economy, of which the caravan world is a firm backbone of.
Following some research from the UK Caravan and Camping Alliance, or UKCCA for short, is has been shown that an outstanding £5,000,000,000 (£5 billion) is due to be spent in rural tourism economies during the summer months holiday park and campsite visitors all over England, Scotland and Wales.
On top of what the holiday maker is set to spend the park and site owners will spend a further £100m each year, for the next 3 years, on maintenance and improvements which will further boost the local economy for the better.
Rory Stewart MP represents Penrith and The Border in Cumbria, a constituency which includes a large part of the Lake District where tourism is now worth £3bn a year.
Mr Stewart said: “Visitors to holiday parks and campsites are vital contributors to our region’s economy, as they are in many other rural areas of Britain – and I am proud that Cumbria is able to provide families with a superb choice of first-class options of places to stay.
“I know from visits to parks in my constituency that providers of such accommodation are committed to delivering the very highest standards.
“The importance of tourism to areas such as my constituency is underlined by the fact that visitors to Cumbria now support 65,000 jobs – a fifth of all employment.
The caravan and campsites sector has many smaller and long-established family-run businesses, and I would like to take this opportunity to recognise their enterprise and hard work.”
Having been fortunate enough to travel to many different sites all across the UK I have found that each season parks and sites seem to be becoming busier each year. This can only mean one thing, we are staying home a lot more for our holidays.
VisitEngland Director, Patricia Yates, said: “This glorious weather has been providing the perfect opportunity to get out and explore our outstanding destinations and visitor attractions, from our coastal towns and vibrant cities to our stunning countryside.
“And it is no wonder more than a fifth of all domestic holidays in England take place in the great outdoors with our huge variety of caravan parks and campsites up and down the country.
The summer holidays are just around the corner and with the ease and convenience of booking a holiday at home, now is the perfect time to book a staycation. This will drive growth from tourism across the country and also boost local economies.”
UKCCA’s research has also shown that holiday park and campsite visitors actually spend, on average, almost £300 per week when on holiday. I can personally attest to this, although it tends to be a bit more than that once all the food and fuel costs are calculated.
Barney Reynolds, owner of The Swan Inn at Hanley Swan near Worcester, said: “The Swan benefits hugely from having two large campsites a short walk away and I anticipate the business they bring in adds £8,000 a week to our turnover. I’m a caravan owner myself and even with the cooking facilities in my own unit, it’s nice to sometimes go out and buy local produce and support local businesses.”
The beauty, some would say the selling point, of the caravan holiday is the freedom you have when away. Being stuck at a resort limits you to what is there whereas being in a caravan you can hop in the car and drive into town for lunch and dinner.
We all know that 2017 was a massive year for the caravan and motorhome world, both in van sales and newcomers to the industry, but it seems that it is now a trend, not a bumper. With the ever rising prices of flights and accommodation, especially during school holidays, it is no wonder people are keeping their holiday and monie here at home.
