Preview: Dusseldorf set to host Europe’s largest caravan show

by Damien Sharkov
With 570 international exhibitors representing 120 caravan and mobile home brands, showcasing a total of approximately 1,800 recreational vehicles in all price ranges, this year’s Caravan Salon in Dusseldorf is looking likely to deliver on its hyperbolic billing as ‘The No. 1 Trade Fair for Motorhomes and Caravans’.
The show will open with a press day on 30 August and closes on 8 September, as it hopes to comprehensively house the caravan and motor home industry for a staggering nine days, in Halls 9-17 of the Dusseldorf Exhibition Centre.
It seems impossible to provide an exhaustive list of all the excitement on offer in an event which is likely to provide the UK public with a taste of the future of caravan and motorhome engineering.
Some of the highlights, however, will include a highly anticipated cameo appearance from the futuristic Knaus Tabbert Caravisio.
The show will also see the unveiling of the Peugeot Westfalia van conversion, based on the existing Expert Teepee model.
What’s more, the British Isles will be represented by manufacturing giant Swift for the very first time, with a selection of Sprite Cruzer and Alpine Sport caravans on display.
Director Helmut Winkler promises the continental caravan convention will offer the “largest selection centred on mobile leisure products worldwide”.
With plenty of innovative European designs, renowned for the relentless pursuit of compactness, versatility, aero-dynamic design and safety, the 2013 Caravan Salon could prove to be every bit as exciting as Helmut promises.
For those who combine their camping with more extreme hobbies, the second weekend of the show is organised to coincide with the hiking and trekking fair TourNatur, which will see 275 exhibitors representing a total of approximately 5,000 travel destinations.
Visitors who are newcomers to the world of caravanning will have an opportunity to test drive a motorhome or learn to tow a caravan at the outdoor area in front of Hall 4.
Younger members of the family will also not be neglected in terms of entertainment, with everything from face painting to an Adventure Camp set up in the open spaces of the venue.
CaravanTimes is thrilled to be reporting from Dusseldorf next week, so keep checking back for a full flavour of what has been capturing the imagination of the continent’s caravan manufacturers and perhaps what to expect on the shores of Albion in the not-too distant future.