By William Coleman
The Brexit decision is having a fantastic impact on the Staycation industry in the UK following negative impact on the pound. It has been almost 15 months since Britain decided to leave the European Union. Whether you agree with the decision or not there is no denying the impact that Brexit has had on the Great British Pound (GBP).
The caravan industry has experienced a real boom since the 2016 referendum. Due to the weak value of the GBP against the dollar and Euro holidays abroad have become a lot more expensive. A pint of beer and a glass of wine in certain areas in Europe can set you back almost £17.
Salop Leisure, award winning caravan dealership with sites in Shrewsbury, Machynlleth and Stourport-on-Severn, have experienced real growth in the post Brexit market. Tony Bywater, chairman of caravan and motorhome dealership has reported record breaking sales numbers across the business during mid August.
The company saw a 26% increase in customers at their Shrewsberry site, which is also the company’s headquarters. The increase has been in all divisions of the business, including motorhomes, campervans and caravans. With the increased foot flow the other onsite stores, the Love Coffee restaurant and Love Plants specialist plants centre have also experienced an increase in takings.
Mr Bywater firmly believes that the recent success and boom in the industry is a direct result of the post Brexit economy in the UK. He has also added that recent issues and events round the world have had an impact. Getting through an airport has now become a task in itself, tougher security, long passport checks are putting a lot of people off of air travel. Add to that the threat of being caught in a terror event in cities around the world. These are all contributing factors that are keeping a lot of people in the UK for their holidays and getaways.
Depending on what side of the fence you sit on, this news is bittersweet. It’s great news for the UK travel and tourism industry, which is exactly what Brexit is supposed to do for us. But as far as the global impact of the weak GBP, the effect is still yet to be seen in its full form.
“They are definitely factors in the staycationing boom this year,” he said. “Many people are looking for better value for money and more flexibility with their holiday requirements for the future.
“A caravan holiday home, touring caravan or motorhome is available all year round whenever it is required and gives people absolute freedom to come and go as they please, whereas all that’s left after a holiday abroad is a suntan that fades and a few photographs.
“The beauty of owning a caravan holiday home, in particular, is that you can share it with other members of your family and you are assured of a high standard of comfortable accommodation every time you need a holiday of short break.
“Today’s holiday homes offer home from home luxury and the quality of parks in Mid Wales and the Heart of England is comparable if not better than other parts of the UK.”
He also reported that there was no one type of leisure vehicle that dominated the sales for first time and existing customers. The sales were pretty evenly spread for caravans, motorhomes and VW campervan conversion. The company has also welcomes a large influx of younger families this year.
Depending on what side of the fence you sit on, this is bittersweet news. It’s great for the UK travel and tourism industry, especially with such a large increase in younger buyers. This kind of positive impact is exactly what Brexit is supposed to do us and our economy. But as far as the global impact of the weak GBP, not to mention the UK market in the future, the effect is still yet to be seen in its full form.
As someone who has always gone on UK based holidays pretty much birth, I am over the moon with the amount of attention our industry is receiving. For me it seems, for now anyway, that we are in a win win scenario. The more we go on Staycations the more funds we pump into our economy and leisure industry. With that happening the experiences and locations can only get better as time moves on.
Has anyone here opted for a Staycation over an abroad holiday?
