Muscling in on a huge sales opportunity

Whilst traffic delays are not pleasant a growing number of UK families appear to find them much less frustrating than delays at airports caused by industrial action or the most recent extra security checks.

An increasing number of people have proved there is another way other than air travel to get away from it all at home or abroad. Just remember the example set by Margaret Beckett the Foreign Secretary and her recent well publicised holiday on wheels.

Caravanning and motorhomes are now back on the ‘cool’ list for UK families so it is good news for the manufacturers of holiday homes on wheels and for the car industry.

Figures supplied by The Caravan Club who represent over 900,000 caravanners, motor caravanners and trailer tent owners show there are 1.7 million caravanners in the UK and they estimate this year alone their members will spend in the region of £900 million on their new and second-hand car purchases. This is in addition to over £300 they will spend on caravans, motor caravans and accessories.

Motorhomes are also growing in popularity with 8,816 new vehicles sold last year, the fifth record year in succession. Already this year’s sales are up again by 13.5 per cent and are expected to grow by 50 per cent to 13,000 annual registrations by 2010.

These are all sales figures and do not include the thousands of families who hire caravans or motorhomes for their holidays at home and abroad.

Whilst families might choose to still fly to locations for short-break early sun or skiing holidays abroad, British families are returning in ever increasing numbers to taking family holidays in a caravan or motorhome, in the UK or abroad. With more and more incidents causing delays at airports the trend for family holidays on wheels is set to continue.

Many caravan and motorhome owners in the past have been the older generation, empty nesters and such-like with disposable income but now younger families are attracted to re-living their childhood holidays with their own children.

Car manufacturers have from time to time gone out of their way to cultivate relationships with the caravanning community and the Caravan Club’s annual Towcar of the Year competition always draws a large entry from most manufacturers.

This year Chrysler Group in the UK with their powerful Chrysler and Jeep models were eager to impress the media with the credentials of their two and four wheel drive models so they took the scribes on a caravanning course.

The Caravan Club’s Practical Caravanning courses have been held for the last 28 years and over 30,000 people have attended them. The Caravan Club also holds Motor Caravanning courses as well. The courses last one or one and a half days and cost £67.50 or £82.50 and are held in various locations throughout the UK. This year’s courses end in October but events are already planned for 2007.

Anybody wishing to get further acquainted with the confidence building courses can contact The Caravan Club’s Events Department on 01342 336808 or visit their website at www.caravanclub.co.uk