Holiday parks earn more than $1 billion a year

Tuesday, 4 April 2017

Fewer holiday park guests are staying in caravans and tents, but camper vans and other holiday park accommodation, such as cabins, are growing in popularity.

Holiday parks are contributing more than $1 billion annually to the economy, and international camper van travellers are proving the biggest spenders

Camping may be a traditional Kiwi activity, but research done for Holiday Parks New Zealand (HPNZ) found overseas visitors now make up more than one third of all guests.

A recent survey found more than a quarter of Kiwi holiday park guests had stayed in the same park more than 11 times.

HPNZ chief executive Fergus Brown said the ease of booking online played a major part in that.

'You can be sitting searching for accommodation in New Zealand when you are sitting in your apartment in New York and holiday parks come up as an option. Previously we weren't even seen as an option.'

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Last summer, domestic guests opted for slightly shorter holidays and there was a drop in frequent visitors who had stayed in the same place at least 11 times.

Tents and caravans remain the most popular type of accommodation amongst Kiwi campers, but Brown said there were signs that caravan use was dropping as local camper van ownership increased.

'The domestic market loves the idea of having a camper van they can park at home and shoot away for a long weekend, or just for one night.'

Almost three quarters of overseas holiday parks guests stayed in camper vans and they were the biggest spenders, dropping more than $200 a day each.

That compared with compared with the average guest spend of $145 a night on accommodation, food, activities and goods ranging from jewellery to fishing equipment.

Brown said spending this summer was 5 per cent down on the previous year as a result of lower petrol prices and bad weather putting a damper on outdoor activities.

'We believe it's mainly because Kiwis are spending less on fuel, as the price of petrol has fallen since the previous period of research in 2014/15. They also spent less on activities and attractions, probably because of our poor summer.'

The economic benefits of holiday parks had a significant flow on effect to the community, he said.

'Other indirect expenditure should also be taken into account, such as the dairy that employs an extra person over summer to cope with the business generated by holiday parks; the boating store that places additional radio advertising to attract purchases from holiday park visitors; or the local council that employs contractors to re-seal the public road leading to the holiday park.'

Separate research carried out by Top 10 Holiday Parks has led to a rebranding of its parks into premium, superior and classic offerings.

Group chief executive David Ovendale said a survey of 1400 guests showed they wanted a clearer idea of what to expect before they arrived at parks, so they knew whether they had facilities such as heated swimming pools and wi-fi.

The new market segments would include parks catering for families wanting a safe, fun holiday with lots to do, Gen Y 20 to 25-year-olds travelling with friends, and active retirees wanting affordable comfort, he said.