By Josh Budd
In an effort to turn Hull into a competitive tourist port, P&O ferries are dropping prices
P&O Ferries have announced that they will be dropping their prices, in order to encourage British caravanners to use Hull as their departure point for European Holidays.
The move by P&O is also hoping to attract more overseas holidayers, particularly from the Netherlands, whose shores sit a little over 200 miles away from the British port.
The Ferry company is looking to provide holidaymakers and caravanners with an alternate option from the more common method of travel to Europe via Dover.
The company is offering a £90 discount to caravan owners for choosing to take their caravan across the North Sea to Rotterdam.
This can only mean good things for the North Easterly port town, as they anticipate a surge of tourist activity from British caravanners flocking to Hull to travel abroad.
It is likely that P&O Ferries have chosen caravanners as their target audience due to the recent popular demand for caravans and caravan holidays across the UK.
High-profile celebrities such as Robbie Williams, Dame Kelly Holmes and Billie Piper have all professed their love for caravanning, and the recent surge of interest from young families has certainly had a significant impact on the industry.
Commercial director at P&O Ferries, Jannette Bell, discussed why Europe is considered a particularly appealing option for British holidaymakers:
“The combination of our £90 discount and the strength of the pound against the Euro mean this is the best opportunity in years for caravan owners to explore the continent.
“Hull is a particularly good setting off point for customers across the north of England and beyond,” Bell continued. “It’s a great alternative to travelling to the south coast.”
The ferry company’s latest offer will mean that a return journey from Hull to Rotterdam with a caravan will cost £283 each way per person on Saturdays and Sundays.
Hull-based manufacturer Coachman Caravans are delighted with the news that their city is set to become a holidaying hot-pot. Jim Hibbs of Coachman Caravans said: “Any reduction in the cost of caravan holidays has to be good.
“A lot of people already use Hull, particularly in Scotland, while plenty of Dutch caravanners also come here.
“But this latest move by P&O Ferries is very good news and very encouraging. Anything that encourages caravan holidays is something I am all for.”
By dropping their prices, P&O Ferries are estimated to pump £13 million into the city’s economy every year, with an increased number of British and continental holidayers passing through Hull on their summer vacations.
In order to cope with their voluminous predictions, P&O Ferries are currently planning on building a new cruise terminal. The large-scale project will cost £31 million, with the construction rumoured to take place at The Deep or at Riverside Quay, on Albert Dock.
Would you consider starting your trip to Europe from Hull instead of Dover? Let us know what you think!
