By Emma Dodd
Anyone purchasing a new caravan or motorhome in anticipation of travel rules being loosened may find they have to wait longer for delivery than they’d expect.
Caravanning is expected to continue to be a major trend as the ability to take trips abroad is restricted and manufacturers are struggling to keep up.
One leisure vehicle retailer has highlighted the delay in new caravans being delivered after its sales rose by 32 per cent year-on-year in the second half of 2020.
Robinsons Caravans told BusinessLive that the usual waiting time of eight weeks has now been doubled to 16 weeks.
It’s fully expecting that to increase further to 24 weeks, as the general population looks to join the motorhome community.
Paul Seabridge, chief executive at Robinsons Caravans, told the news provider: “The coronavirus crisis has resulted in a surge in demand for caravans as people are restricted from travelling overseas and can only holiday in the UK.
“Even after we are through the worst of the crisis, many people – especially those aged over 50 – will be nervous about travelling abroad so we expect demand for caravans to remain high.”
The fact that demand is outstripping supply for leisure vehicles has led to a number of companies branching out into the used motorhome market, including Robinsons Caravans.
Its new platform is uniting potential caravanners with their dream vehicles, as many Brits look towards staycations this summer for a change of scenery post-lockdown.
According to Robinsons Caravans, the industry is worth more than £6 billion in the UK, with as many as 50 million nights spent in a caravan annually.
Currently, there are around a million leisure vehicles in the UK split between those that are privately-owned and others that are rented to holidaymakers.
That number is likely to increase exponentially as budgets that would usually be spent on foreign travel are channelled into the purchase of a caravan or motorhome.
Image credit: iStock/welcomia
