If anyone tells you you’re old-fashioned for enjoying your caravan holidays you can now send them packing with a flea in their ear and the figures to back it up. In fact, if you enjoy park and caravan stays you’re bang on trend and backing a £6-billion industry that’s booming in every way.
The National Caravan Council (NCC) reported at the end of October that producers of vans had seen production increases of 12.5% in just six months.
That’s across all sectors of the industry.
From August 2014 to October 2015 manufacturing output went up 17% in total with 20,000 more touring vans, that’s 5%, being sent to dealers.
Every measure of the state of the industry is in rosy health. Registrations of new motorhomes are up by a quarter; demand for converting vans to campervans is outstripping supply; Trigano’s British outfit is expanding its Grimsby plant in order to switch to assembly-line production; Swift Group has a 34% increased overseas order book.
The park and tour operators are also trumpeting good news.
Hoseasons, who have parks across the land from Devon’s Beachside, to Auchenlarie in Wigtown Bay, Galloway, had their fifth record season in a row in summer 2015 with a 10% increase in UK bookings.
Bourne Leisure Group, whose operations include Haven parks like Seton Sands in Scotland, and Wild Duck Holiday Park in Norfolk, also reported a nearly-4% annual increase in business this year
John Lally of the NCC is in no doubt as to why the caravan and park home industry is booming in tough economic conditions.
“More and more people are enjoying caravanning because of the life it offers, from retirees with time and money to young families wanting to enjoy the great outdoors,” he says.
“Caravans and motorhomes enable freedom with modern products increasingly attractive as they are often lightweight, easy to tow and come with all the mod-cons meaning they can be used all year round.”
There’s even a celebrity angle to the caravan renaissance. When Warwick Davis, who will be appearing in the new Star Wars film, reported online that his caravan had been nicked from a site in Cambridgeshire (Warwick favours a Swift Archway Cranford 545), he received an outpouring of sympathy and support on Twitter.
He’s the latest in an impressive line of star names who’ve been linked with a hobby and a way of holidaying that’s been the butt of unkind jokes – we’re looking at you Top Gear – for years. Billie Piper and Dame Helen Mirren are glamorous caravanners, Jay Kay of Jamiroquai brings a touch of rock star panache to the fraternity, and no-one’s going to mock TV hard man, Steve McFadden’s choice of holiday accommodation.
Warwick’s still not been reunited with his van, and if you hear or see anything you should contact Cambridgeshire Police.
