By William Coleman
There is no denying that 2017 has been an amazing year for the UK tourism industry. With record breaking numbers or staycations being taken as well of billions being pumped into the economy from overseas visitors. So is it any real surprise that one of the UK’s biggest television channels have visited one England’s holiday hotspots.
It was all eyes on a Cumbrian holiday park as an ITV news crew ventured to find out why so many people from across the globe choce the Lake District as their holiday destination of 2017. ITV’s Look North visited the Skelwith Fold caravan park to find out first hand what had made the area such a must visit location and how they found 2017.
Following survey results on Cumbrian Tourism is showed that numbers were up in all sectors across the region, with Lakeland’s caravan and camping park seeing a stagoring 12% increase in visitors.
On top of all the great destinations to visit the World Heritage status was given to the Lake District. Which undoubtedly raised the areas popularity with tourists and locals who also visit the site.
Then there is the very small matter of Brexit. It has played a massive part in all aspects of British business and culture, so unavoidable it has had an impact on the UK holiday industry. The weak GPB value has meant that, in some cases, that your can get a lot more for your money by staying in the UK for your holidays. With the Brexit date fast approaching and many cost conscious Brits looking to stay home for their vacations 2018 could be even more impressive.
At Skelwith Fold, which has nearly 500 holiday home and touring pitches, business owner Henry Wild said that another reason was the high quality experience which parks provided:
“We have a good product which encourages people to make return visits, and recommend this type of holiday to others,” he told the programme, screened throughout northern England.
“Although I’m always reluctant to base future predictions on just one single year, I think there is every indication that future prospects are extremely positive.
“The task now for Cumbria is to maintain a high publicity profile, and to attract the type of visitors who truly appreciate what the Lake District offers, and not least its natural beauty.
“We also need to be aware that overseas guests are exposed to very strong branding promotions from other parts of the UK, especially Wales and Scotland.
“Our job is to persuade visitors arriving in this country to turn left on the M6 motorway into Cumbria, and to discover Britain’s brightest tourism star,” added Henry.
The Skelwith Fold site also took Lakeland’s top holiday park in the Cumbria Tourism Awards earlier this year and has been universally praised for its dedication to environmental care. Something that a lot of parks across the UK are making one of their top focuses.
On top of the great feedback from Skelwith Fold other sites interviewed for the programme had similar things to say about the industry boom and forecast even great success continuing on an upward trajectory.
Look North also spoke with Gill Haigh who recently took up the position of managing director of Cumbria Tourism, and who said the survey pointed to a buoyant 2018 season.
Tourism, she said, was a crucial component of Cumbria’s economy, and sustained many jobs as well as smaller family-run businesses in the county.
Earlier this year, Ms Haigh paid a fact-finding visit to Skelwith Fold where she also met with other park owners attending a meeting of the Cumbria branch of BH&HPA.
