Holiday parks benefit from Brexit vote & ‘staycations’ rise

SOME of Cornwall’s leading holiday parks have reported a strong 2016 summer season on the back of the Brexit vote and a weaker pound.

Hengar Manor Holiday Park, Bridge Leisure and Cornwall’s Finest Parks, which represents several parks in Cornwall, all said 2016 was a good year, although some couldn’t say for sure that it was down to the vote to leave the EU and any knock-on effects.

2016 has been hailed as record-breaking year for British tourism, with security threats and political instability abroad, coupled with the falling value of the pound, the reason behind more people choosing to holiday at home this year.

Andrew Howe, CEO, told Business Cornwall magazine that his firm noticed an increase in enquiries following the decision to leave the EU.

“There was a very definite up-turn in enquiries following the Brexit vote in June for both our holiday parks in Cornwall. Trevella Park in Crantock and Seaview Holiday Village in Polperro both had record summers for holiday bookings and they’ve been turning away enquiries,” he said.

“The signs look promising for 2017 too, as we’ve seen our highest levels of advanced bookings for the summer months next year.”

However, he said that these “new levels of popularity” means holiday parks can not “rest on their laurels”.

He added: “People who are used to travelling abroad have high expectations and we get one chance to meet their hopes, so we’ll continue to invest heavily to ensure we offer a quality product to this new audience.”

Pitched reported last month how terrorism and health scares could put people off holidaying abroad in 2017. This could all add up to another bumper year for UK holiday parks and campsites as the so-called staycation phenomenon continues.

Cornwall gets boost from TV exposure

Sara Lilly, from Cornwall’s Finest Parks, said that her clients had not expressed a particular reason for their strong performance this year but that there was lots of interest in the county on the back of the return of Poldark to TV screens.

“We have noticed an increased number of European touring numbers – Dutch, Belgian and German, and there is a noticeable number of German visitors relating to the Rosamund Pilcher tours,” she told Business Cornwall.

Elsewhere, Becky Sidgwick, from Hengar Manor, added: “The season was still busy in the peak weeks but still many guests leaving it very late in the day to book a break away, leaving for concern that the booking wouldn’t come and therefore offering higher discounts.”

Did your park see an up-turn in visitor numbers this summer? Or did you not get the number of bookings you anticipated? Speak to Pitched today and we can help transform your holiday park or campsite with a new website and bespoke digital marketing services. Contact us on 01726 418118 or drop us an e-mail enquiry now.