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CUMBRIA Tourism has launched its brand new 2009 Caravan, Camping and Holiday Home Guide in time for this year's National Camping and Caravanning Week which takes place from May 23 to 29.

The guide details the wide range of quality camping accommodation on offer in the Lake District and the rest of Cumbria and features more than 60 businesses across the county.

These cover everything from tent pitches near England's highest mountain and caravan parks near England's deepest lake, to alternative 'glamping' options such as stylish yurts and cosy camping pods.

Twenty thousand copies of the guide have been produced and 10,000 electronic versions have been emailed to camping enthusiasts throughout the country.

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Canowindra’s Age of Fishes Museum has come up with an innovative way to attract interstate volunteers to the museum.

The museum’s board has filed a request with Cabonne Council asking that volunteers from outside of the region be given free access to a powered site at Canowindra Caravan Park for the duration of their stay.

Board member Monica Yeung said the museum had also been in touch with private accommodation vendors who might be willing to offer discounted rates for interstate volunteers.

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CARAVAN and camping sites across the country are facing a busy summer as holiday-makers swap foreign vacations for trips closer to home.

Park owners are experiencing a boost in the number of bookings they are taking for the summer season.

Many are attributing the rise to an increasing number of people opting to holiday at home to save money.

Caravan parks also reported full houses over the Easter holiday, with visitors coming from across the country for a long break.

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Only weeks ago, the Big Pineapple was heritage listed for its contribution to agricultural tourism - now three caravan parks on the Sunshine Coast are set to become historical landmarks in homage to the beach holiday.

To "preserve the importance of this great Aussie holiday tradition," the privately-run Tripcony Hibiscus Caravan Park at Caloundra and the council-run Cotton Tree and Noosa River parks will be added to the register, the Queensland Heritage council revealed yesterday.

Since as early as 1880, people have come to Cotton Tree, north of Brisbane, to camp, swim and fish, with Noose and Caloundra also popular since the early 20th century.

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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

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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