| UK Caravan parks are preparing themselves for what | | | | Deeside said that young couples and groups of |
| they hope will be a sizzling summer as holiday makers | | | | young people were choosing to camp and the |
| favour holidays at home instead of going abroad | | | | warden reported that more people were choosing to |
| Caravan Park owners are experiencing higher than | | | | book their caravans in for the whole season. In |
| average bookings for their summer season and many | | | | Burnside Caravan Park at Fochabers, the season has |
| attribute this to the credit crunch. It appears the cost | | | | already started as high numbers of visitors look for |
| of foreign travel has now made the british | | | | somewhere to park their touring caravans. A |
| holidaymaker opt to remain in the UK to save their | | | | spokesman said "It is just the cost of going abroad, |
| money. Sales of caravans had also increased. Dennis | | | | people are getting fed up and are preparing to stay |
| Smith, who owns Hillhead Caravan Park at Kintore, | | | | at home". He predicted that the number of foreign |
| Aberdeenshire with 120 vehicle storage area said an | | | | visitors would also rise. |
| increasing number of families were buying caravans | | | | "It is more favourable to them now with their |
| and storing them on his site which has now a waiting | | | | exchange rate, for the last couple of years it was |
| list of up to a month which is a 30% rise in figures | | | | not cost effective for them but now it's equalised |
| from last year. He said "I would say people have | | | | "This positive effect however is not being felt |
| decided hat caravan holidays are cheaper and less | | | | elsewhere in the industry; John Campbell who sells |
| stressful than going abroad, many of them want to | | | | static caravans at Thurso said that sales had dropped |
| try the freedom of caravaning" | | | | dramatically since the start of the recession. "We |
| He added that the credit crunch however has not | | | | don't have lots of sites up here for static caravans" |
| prevented people form buying the largest caravans | | | | he said, "We sell to people building houses who put |
| available rather than buy a cheaper second hand one | | | | the caravans on the site but we have hardly sold |
| and regularly upgrade. Aboyne Loch Caravan Park on | | | | anything since December". |