ANEW UK-wide scheme for rating the quality of holiday parks should give agents greater confidence to sell camping and caravan breaks, according to the English Tourism Council. An ETC spokeswoman said the new star rating awarded to parks meant agents could tell at a glance what the standard of facilities was like at each one, making it easier for them to take a greater share of this £1.9bn market.
She said the new grading scheme was far tougher on parks than the British Graded Holiday Parks scheme it has replaced, and it requires them to meet much higher standards.
She added: “Customer expectations of quality have changed since the original grading scheme was introduced many years ago and this new scheme recognises clients’ higher expectations.”
Launched jointly by the ETC and the tourist boards of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland together with the British Holiday and Home Parks Association and the National Caravan Council, the scheme awards parks one to five stars according to the quality of the facilities.
It does not take into consideration the size of the park or the range of facilities.
As well as a star rating, participating parks will also display one of three signifiers, either Holiday Park, Caravan Park or Camping Park. Over the past six months, a team of independent tourist board assessors has been testing everything from park cleanliness and the welcome and efficiency of service to the standard of toilet and washing facilities and park maintenance in sites across the country.
So far, 1,038 parks out of a total of 4,225 have been given a star rating, 65 are awaiting rating results and a further 17 are on the waiting list for assessments. This is roughly the same number as under the previous scheme. The ETC spokeswoman refused to say how many parks that were awarded top marks under the old scheme have now been awarded five stars, but she said the figure would be lower as the testing criteria was higher.
“In particular, the new scheme requires improved toilet and washing facilities including heating in the top rate parks,” she said.
“Also, assessors are looking for improved electrics in parks because people with holiday homes have a much greater requirement for a good supply now.”
Lighting within parks has also been made a higher priority. “It is no longer just about providing safety and security, we also want to make sure that lighting is not detrimental to the environment,” added the spokeswoman.
The grading scheme, which is voluntary, applies to all holiday parks regardless of their size. The largest to gain a star rating are Haven and British Holidays, both of which sell through the trade.
Camping, caravan and holiday parks
n There are 4,225 caravan parks in the UK (not including Northern Ireland).
n 17m holidays were taken at camping, caravan and holiday parks in the UK in 1998.
n Almost one-quarter of all UK holidays are spent either in caravans or tents.
n The size of this market (82m holiday nights) outstrips all other types of tourism accommodation provision including hotels, bed and breakfasts and holiday cottages.
n The estimated total spent each year on holidays in the UK is £10.3bn of which the caravan and camping sector takes about 19%.
n The average nightly spend on a caravan holiday is £25.60 – less than half the cost of staying in a hotel or guesthouse.
n The caravan sector represents 10% of all UK tourism trips.
n The most popular areas for caravan holidays are in coastal and lakeland areas – Dorset, North Yorkshire, East Anglia and Cumbria. Information supplied by the English Tourism Council/National Caravan Council.