Holiday parks booming
ASSIVE investment from holiday operators around the region is transforming the humble caravan
The traditional caravanning offer involved basic facilities where the offer often didn’t match the stunning surroundings.
But this has changed in recent years and further investment in 2016 is taking that to another level. From infinity pools, to new shower blocks, and £500,000 holiday lodges luxury has arrived at parks around the region.
Jim Jones, the managing director of North Wales Tourism, said: “The visitor economy in North Wales is booming across all sectors.
“Caravan sites are a crucial part of what we have to offer visitors to North Wales and they are hugely important in terms of the revenue they bring.
“Last year, for example, 30 per cent of overnight visitors from UK to North Wales stayed in camping and caravanning accommodation.
“According to the GB Tourism Survey, the number of visitors staying in camping and caravanning accommodation in North Wales has risen overall across the last 10 years, from an annual average of 1,068,000 visitors in 2006-08, to 1,171,000 in 2013-15.
“There’s a massive amount of investment going into caravan parks across the region, with plans for new sites and also developing and enhancing the existing ones. A lot of caravan parks are investing in hot tubs as an extra bit of luxury for their visitors. We’re also seeing a raft of planning applications for glamping sites which are the ideal complement for caravan parks.”
One of the holiday firms that has invested over £1.5m this year is St David’s Leisure.
They have spent £1m on new luxury leisure facilities at St David’s Park at Red Wharf Bay on Anglesey and £500,000 on creating a new restaurant and bar ‘Molly’s’ at the historic Grade II Listed manor house at Coed Helen Holiday Park, Caernarfon.
Managing director Geoff Davies said: “In what is now a very competitive industry it is important that you keep at the top of your game and the best way of doing this is through upgrading your site and keeping everything modern, especially as customers’ expectations increase year on year.
“Also, having a site that is up-todate also helps through the quieter times as a recently upgraded park will always have the edge over those that don’t keep on top of things – ‘repair the roof when the sun is shining!’
“Customers now have higher expectations – and rightly so.
“In general, I think it’s fair to say people have a better quality of life at home these days and this should be echoed in your holiday home, so as people’s expectations become increasingly higher it is important our parks and the facilities we offer keep up with them.
“Customers also expect better value for money now and we now place more emphasis on luxury and better facilities as a result of this.”
The investment is already paying off. Geoff said: “We are financially performing better as a result.
“Keeping on top of things and investing in new facilities also helps greatly when potential buyers come to our parks.”
The investment is not stopping there.
Geoff added: “At St. David’s Park we are looking at upgrading the reception block to better reflect the high class facilities we now have there. In Berthlwyd Holiday Park, Conwy, we are just finishing a new children’s play area and in Coed Helen, Caernarfon, recent renovations to the grade II listed manor house have just come to an end including new reception, offices, gym, playroom, launderette, along with our new onsite restaurant Molly’s.”
Other parks splashing the cash include Plas Coch on Anglesey where £400,000 was spent on the manor house while Sarnfaen Holiday Park at Tal Y Bont near Barmouth has completed a £1m spa investment. Meanwhile the already exclusive The Warren holiday site, next to the beach in Abersoch, is also looking to spend big to improve facilities at its pool, spa complex and beachside restaurant.
At the tourer and camping end of the market Shell Island is another site spending to improve facilities.
They have spent £350,000 to refurbish the existing shower block and replace every toilet on the site, supported by Barclays.
This move to the luxury offer and the growth in staycations has meant a boom for luxury lodge manufacturer Cambrian Park and Leisure Homes, based in Porthmadog. They have seen a 20% increase in enquiries for its luxury lodges as Brits shun trips abroad.
Research by the Porthmadog-based business, which has been producing lodges for the past decade with prices ranging from £80,000 to £650,000 has shown consumer confidence for buying major big-ticket purchases such as second homes and lodges has also continued to grow with current confidence on a par with pre-recession levels. Between 2008 and 2015 holiday trips in the UK increased by 1.5% to 56 million as ‘staycations’ continued to grow.
Helen Scott, director at Cambrian, which employs 150 skilled staff, said: “We’re seeing an increase in demand for our lodges as people look for stress free holiday options in the UK.
“Although people are choosing UK breaks, they still want a luxurious experience in a beautiful setting. Holidaymakers and park owners alike are taking advantage of the beautiful locations on our doorstep.
“The holiday home market is moving towards high spec lodge units which have plenty of room and feature all the mod cons found in our own homes. Our research shows that less people are choosing the more traditional selfcatering options.”