Caravanning enjoys renaissance as credit crisis bites
Caravan holidays are on the way back with the number of bookings up 40 per cent up on last year.
By David Millward, Transport Editor
Last Updated: 8:25PM GMT 07 Jan 2009
A combination of economic gloom and the weakness of sterling against the euro is triggering a renaissance of caravan holidays at home, rekindling memories of their 1970s heyday.
According to the Caravan Club, holiday bookings are up 40 per cent on last year.
It took more than 50,000 bookings in just five days during December and nearly 55,000 households joined the club last year, making 2008 the best in the club's history.
There are a number of caravan enthusiasts, with the best-known being Margaret Beckett, the housing minister.
Demand for caravanning has not only been boosted by the growing mood of austerity as a result of the credit crisis, but also the dramatic fall in the price of fuel.
The surge has been noticed by operators of caravan parks, who are already taking more bookings than this time last.
"We are already fully booked for Easter and over half our pitches are already allocated for the whole of the year," said Jessica Woodens of Holgates Caravan park at Carnforth, Lancashire, on the approaches to the Lake District.
Meanwhile Nick Lomas, the Caravan Club's director of marketing, hailed what he described as the return of the "great British holiday".
He said that caravanning was the most popular holiday option for those who decide to remain in Britain.
"We confidently predict that 2009 will be the year that welcomes the return of the great British holiday, something Caravan Club members have enjoyed for over a century," he said.
"Caravanning is enjoyed by people from all walks of life and all age groups – in the last year it has become particularly popular with young couples and families.
According to the club the market in second hand caravans is thriving, with prices not falling in the same way as other vehicles.
The same has been noticed by dealers.
"Unlike cars the price of second hand caravans has not been nose diving and we have been blessed with particularly buoyant," said John Ridd, sales controller at Discover, Britain's largest group.
"We believe this is because of a combination of factors. People value their holidays more than they do replacing a car.
"It's a much more bullish market than the motor trade. When car dealers speak to us, they can't believe how well we are doing." |
