Caravan Towing Mirrors

Blue skies and the credit crunch appear to have given the Welsh tourist industry a welcome kick start, say operators.

As the Easter holidays come to an end, Pembrokeshire Tourism, which represents 500 holiday businesses said it had seen a "huge upsurge" in late bookings.

North Wales Tourism said better than forecast weather over the bank holidays helped boost trade.

The Caravan Club also said it has seen a 40% increase in bookings this year.

A key feature that also seems to have emerged in the rise in the use of the internet to grab late bookings.

Barry Chapman, manager of the Hotel Plas Hyfryd at Narbeth in Pembrokeshire said: "Although traditionally its never a really busy time of year for us, this year broke the mould.

"With leisure guests up by over 50% and a number of guest booking for the whole three night period, we are delighted with the results of our new on line marketing campaign."

Nick Evans, chairman of Pembrokeshire Tourism added: "It's encouraging to see more market confidence from a high percentage of our members across the tourism spectrum."

Sunshine

Mr Evans counterpart at North Wales Tourism, Chris Jackson, was a little more cautious, but agreed that there had been a positive start to the tourism season.

"Operators are reasonably happy. It's the start of the season in north Wales and we have benefitted from good weather - much better than the weather forecasted," said Mr Jackson.

"There has been some last minute bookings and the visitor attractions have done rather well."

But Mr Jackson said his members were "not throwing their hats in the air" just yet.

He said many were hoping that the recession would see more people looking to holiday closer to home, and that the industry was "looking ahead cautiously".

One part of the tourism sector that definitely appears to have benefitted is the caravan park operator.

'Value'

According to The Caravan Club, which owns and operates 200 sites across Britain, it has seen bookings for 2009 already up by 40%.

It said its network of parks in Wales were at 90% occupancy for the Easter holidays.

"I think people in the current climate are looking where they get real value and are making the most of their own time," said the club's spokeswoman Fiona Bewers.

"New families are taking up caravanning as a fun option, it gives them flexibility to go when and where they want."

Source: BBC

This is the moment a crazy driver attempts to take on a caravan and ends up driving straight through the middle.

As spectators gather around the caravan a driver revs his car in the distance and then he's off.

The small car charges towards the caravan at great speed and smashes through its side.

The car shoots straight out of the other side of the caravan and even manages to stay in one piece.

Here is the video:

Business is booming at caravan parks in Leicestershire as holidaymakers swap foreign shores for the great outdoors.

Park owners say they are fully booked over the Easter school holidays and have seen a boom in trade since the credit crunch began as people favour cheaper breaks.

At East Midlands Airport, 9,000 fewer passengers flew off on holiday, compared with the same time last year.

Lesley Kind, who runs Whetstone Gorse Fisheries and Caravan Site, in Whetstone, with husband, Martin, says they have been booked up for the Easter holidays for more than seven weeks.

The site has room for 26 vans, a converted barn with a bar and stage and a licence to hold up to 400 caravans at special events.

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A FAMILY holiday turned into a nightmare for Julie Hutchinson after her caravan was burgled on the first night of her stay in Bridlington.

Julie, 27, travelled from Leeds last Friday to stay at the South Cliff Caravan Park with her father Ronnie, 65, and her two children Jakob, eight, and 10-month-old Ruby.

They arrived at the park in the afternoon and went out to its club in the evening, only to return later to find their caravan had been broken into and around £1,300-worth of items had been stolen.

"It's devastating really," said Julie.

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HOPES are high that the Easter holidays will turn out to be a huge money-spinner for Flintshire's caravan parks.
Parks across the county have been expecting to benefit from a massive surge in demand, as tourists with one eye on the financial climate, look to domestic breaks in a bid to trim costs.

Flintshire Council's executive member for regeneration and tourism, Cllr Mel Higham said the county was well prepared to welcome an influx of holidaygoers eager to avoid the strong Euro and take advantage of the attractions on offer here.

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The roads and ports were packed yesterday as millions began the bank holiday weekend early.

It was thought to be the busiest day on the roads this year, with ten million heading away for the weekend, a 13 per cent rise on last year, according to the AA. The RAC is predicting a third more short trips than this time last year, while British resorts are ready for a bumper Easter as families opt for value breaks in this country over expensive foreign trips.

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RESIDENTS forced a three-hour stand-off with their landlords to stop them towing away a neighbour’s mobile home.

Families living at Haven Village, Brightlingsea, formed a defensive shield around Jonathan Edwards’ caravan, after they claimed park managers tried to move it from the site.

Mr Edwards, a 58-year-old father, was on holiday in Cornwall when residents called him to say park officials were trying to move his mobile home off the site in Promenade Way.

It follows a four-year legal battle between residents and caravan park managers Brightlingsea Haven Ltd, and Hamerton Leisure Ltd, over money and housing rights.

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WALES’ caravan parks could benefit from a massive 60% surge in demand over the Easter holidays as tourists opt for domestic breaks to avoid the strong euro.

With a less than favourable weather forecast over the next few days, tourism leaders here are divided over the prospects for the Easter break, but all are agreed the biggest winner will be the caravanning sector.

With the pound continuing to struggle against the euro – yesterday one euro cost 90p compared to December 2004 when it was worth just 69p – holidaymakers are looking to cut back on the costs of travel.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has said the economic crisis means that the 3% to 4% growth the foreign holidays market traditionally achieves in favourable economic circumstances is unlikely to materialise this year.

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Easter is the busiest motoring weekend of the year and the AA reckon that this year a record 10 million drivers will be on the roads.

Due to economic conditions we are having more holidays in the UK and Easter bookings at the Caravan Club sites have increased on last year. If you’re lucky enough to have booked into a site, consider travelling at off-peak times and take some provisions with you.

There are some glimmers of hope though. The Highways Agency (HA) will suspend 73% of the roadworks on motorways and A-roads, and you can plan your journey with up-to-the-minute info at the AA or HA sites, or by listening to your local radio station.

The weather forecast is good compared to last Easter when snow caused road problems, so the roads should keep moving. Meanwhile, to keep your own van on the move check the tyres for cracks and ensure the pressures are correct.

Source: caravanmagazine.co.uk

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