Short-breaks big business for domestic market

TravelMole FastConference Special: The domestic tourism industry must look to capitalise on the second, third or fourth annual breaks that are being taken by Britons, an industry gathering heard this week.

“We can’t compete with destinations abroad,” said BTTF and WTM event director, Graeme Barnett, who was on the panel at the FastConference, “but it’s not what the domestic industry is trying to do,” he said.

The response was to a question from debate moderator, Jeremy Skidmore, who asked how destinations like Torquay could compete with the Spanish Costas.

Barnett’s view was supported by VisitBritain England marketing manager, Michael Bedingfield: “Our job is getting people who go abroad to holiday in the UK as well. British hoteliers don’t have a problem filling room during the summer, on the whole, so we want people to take domestic breaks in the spring and autumn.”

During the debate there were lively interjections from the audience, including VisitBrighton’s Nick Vowles, who said that Brighton had accepted its role as a short-break destination, but said the city also serves as a gateway to Sussex, allowing people to take a longer break of up to a week encompassing more than one destination.

But domestic suppliers were adamant that they have not lost the main one or two-week summer holiday market altogether.

British Holiday and Home Parks Association director general, Ros Pritchard said her members represent 25% of the domestic holiday market and said there is big business in the family and greying sectors.

“Around 50% of the population went camping or caravanning as a child, and many of them come back again when they have their own children or grandchildren,” she said.

But she added that her business suffers widespread misperception, particularly from the press.

“Around 50% of the population is stuck in this misperception of camping and caravanning and a lot of them write in newspapers,” she said. “There is a lot of anti-caravan prejudice, but our industry has been booming for four years, even when the weather hasn’t been great.”

In the audience was Bourne Leisure head of agency sales, Colin Wilson, who said that despite the misperception, many wealthy Britons used his company’s holiday resorts.

He used the example of a caravan site in Tenby, where on the shoulder season weekends, the car park was filled with expensive cars belonging to professionals such as doctors or lawyers who took a domestic short-break in addition to their main summer holiday.

Report by Ginny McGrath

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