Boom time for caravan industry as holidays abroad are shunned

YORKSHIRE’S CARAVAN industry has had an “extraordinary” year as holidaymakers steer away from trips abroad.

East Yorkshire is the UK’s centre of caravan manufacturing, employing 10,000 people, with another 10,000 in the supply chain and is home to some of the biggest names – Willerby Holiday Homes, Swift and ABI.

In June local MPs expressed fears thousands of jobs were at risk because of the pandemic disrupting much of the seasonal trade.

But as soon as dealerships reopened, forecourts were instantly busy, said Director General of the National Caravan Council John Lally, with caravans proving to be “socially distanced by design”. Demand, he says, has stayed strong, with “just a slight cooling” as temperatures have dipped and amid the increasing number of local lockdowns.

Mr Lally said manufacturers’ order books were largely full through to spring/ summer 2021.

He said: “It has been an extraordinary year for the caravan industry – for holiday parks and leisure- vehicle manufacturers.”

In the three months to August, touring- caravan sales were up 24 per cent compared to the same periodin2019, whilemotor- home registrations were up a “staggering” 41 per cent in August, compared to August last year. Holiday caravan sales are “fast following suit”, Mr Lally said.

Camping and caravan sites were the most popular accommodation choice over the summer, according to the VisitBritain tracker, with around half of those surveyed saying they were less likely to travel abroad.

Summer coastal buses that normally run only until the end of October, and which serve holiday parks between Scarborough and Bridlington, have been extended until November 29.

Claire Robinson, marketing manager for bus operator East Yorkshire, said the firm had seen good demand since the holiday villages reopened, adding: “All the people who would normally go to Spain and Europe have stayed in this country and seen the delights of the East Coast.”

DESPITE THE pandemic, there has been no let- up in applications for new tourist developments in the countryside.

Since the start of the year there have been 40 applications approved by just one council, East Riding Council, for everything from holiday lodges to yurts and shepherd’s huts. Around a third allow land to be converted for static caravan and touring pitches. But such developments are not always welcomed by local residents.

The biggest application approved this year has been for a new holiday park with 420 static caravans off Hornsea Road at Skipsea. Councillors passed the plans, which include a new club house, swimming pool and lake for water sports, earlier this month, after hearing it would create 70 new jobs and bring more than £ 4m into the local area.

Parish councils had objected, as did a neighbouring farmer, who said the increase in traffic, pressure on local services and noise from the park outweighed any economic benefits.

On Flamborough Head, one of the area’s best known tourist destinations, some residents have expressed concern that a tipping point has been reached, because of the number of caravans, which they say are destroying the beauty of the unspoilt coastline.

Figures from 2019 show the area has eight times more tourist bed spaces ( 18,493) than the village’s population.

Andrew Bardon from Flamborough Residents Association said: “We really think enough is enough. At the end of the day people come to places like Flamborough Head to get away from it all, not to a giant town on wheels.

“The argument is that they bring employment and money to the area, but it is not actually a benefit to local people as the money is usually kept inside the camp.

“They have their own shops, bars and entertainment facilities.

“You have cars, touring caravans, motorhomes, large trucks with groceries through a small village, with a single access road.”

In smaller communities, like the tiny village of Fitling in Holderness, which numbers only around 20 houses, plans for an extra 47 statics caravans are concerning locals. Residents there say their quality of life has already been impaired by noise and light pollution from over 50 tourist units in what was until recently a sleepy corner of the countryside.