Safari tent glamping at multi-award winning Skelwith Fold caravan park in Ambleside, Lake District

UK holiday parks and campsites say businesses could be forced to close

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, September 6, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The body representing around 2,500 UK holiday parks and campsites has written an open letter to Britain’s new prime minister Liz Truss calling for urgent action to stave off a crisis in its sector.

The British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) says that the £9.3bn of visitor spending generated by its members each year is under threat from spiralling energy costs.

Without direct support from Government to absorb escalating energy prices, it warns, many smaller businesses will be forced to close for good before the start of the next holiday season.

Also at risk, it says, are many of the 170,000 full-time equivalent jobs which holiday parks and campsites sustain, largely in rural and coastal areas with few alternative employment opportunities.

BH&HPA is one of four signatories to the letter which also includes the National Caravan Council, the Camping and Caravanning Club, and the Caravan and Motorhome Club.

Parks and campsites of all sizes, say the bodies, are also being hit hard by VAT levies which make them unable to compete on a level playing field with other countries.

A lowering of VAT for UK tourism businesses, it says, would help keep holidays more affordable for people already battling cost of living rises.

Staying options provided include touring pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes, rented caravan holiday homes and lodges, and glamping units such as tipis and yurts.

Value-for-money prices and high quality surroundings and facilities make parks and campsites a popular choice for millions of people each year, BH&HPA says.

Often family-run enterprises, parks are also vital components of many coastal and countryside communities, supporting local suppliers of goods and services, and providing jobs.

In its letter, the bodies congratulated Liz Truss on her election as PM, and said that its members looked forward to an early opportunity to discuss their concerns.

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More press information available from Jon Boston on 01768 895225

Jon Boston
Jon Boston Associates
jon@jjbpr.co.uk