Caravan Club acquires Alan Rogers

[ValA.]

From the Caravan Club website:Latest news

BackThe Caravan Club acquires Alan Rogers Travel Group Published: 09 October 2012

The Club is delighted to announce it has acquired the Alan Rogers Travel Group, allowing it to enhance its already renowned Overseas Travel Service.
The Alan Rogers Travel Group is a market leader: it publishes Alan Rogers Guides, provides extensive campsite information, sells sites and ferry crossings and is the exclusive UK agent for Camping Cheques. It also owns Belle France, a specialist French tour operator, and a digital media company.
This acquisition will enable The Club to add the extensive range of travel products, expertise and service offered by The Alan Rogers Travel Group to its Overseas Travel Service. Please be assured this news will not have an impact on members' existing overseas bookings.
Nick Lomas, Director General of The Caravan Club, said, "Club staff will be working with the team at Alan Rogers Travel Group to make products available to members and further details will follow shortly."

 

[KeithJ]

I can’t help thinking this is bad news. I have been travelling round Europe for 50 years now; starting with cycle Youth Hosteling in 1962, through motor cycle and car camping to caravanning. To me the great enjoyment of camping and caravanning is the ability to move on or to stay a bit longer at will, and the freedom to discover new places and new experiences. There have been times in the past when I have got off the ferry in Calais before deciding in which direction to head off, and I would hate to have my holiday arrangements made by somebody sitting at a desk in England. I feel that this move by the Caravan Club turns them into a commercial travel agent, something I do not want. I know this exists already with Alan Rogers, but I expect the CC to be as its name suggests, a club, existing as an independent body to support its members, not to sell them travel products (as they call them). Personally I have always preferred the Camping and Caravan Club because they seem to be more adventurous and run by genuine enthusiasts and I have only stayed with the CC for its excellent UK sites and cheap channel crossings. This new move will make me feel even less in touch with the Caravan Club. I guess they are just trying to move with the times, but I would not have thought they needed to turn commercial for financial survival, considering the number of members they have.

 

[RayS]

I too am not very happy about this. The CC Europe site guides appear to be direct competitors of the Alan Rogers publications and it would be very sad if there was any sort of blending of the two - I find the member's views of site much more reliable than any commercial guide, even if some of the approach instructions are a little strange. I also doubt that the travel service from a more commercial operation will match that from CC in terms of personal attention and response.

 

[JeffD]

Does this mean that Camping Cheques will be managed by the CC as well?

Jeff

 

[philspot1]

I too am not very happy about this. The CC Europe site guides appear to be direct competitors of the Alan Rogers publications and it would be very sad if there was any sort of blending of the two - I find the member's views of site much more reliable than any commercial guide, even if some of the approach instructions are a little strange. I also doubt that the travel service from a more commercial operation will match that from CC in terms of personal attention and response.

Look on the (possible) bright side - what emerges could be the best of both, all in one package! (Signed, Polyanna)

 

[Grahamh]

During trip to France this year I came accross two sites who had placed signs in reception to say they would no longer accept Camping cheques - we used ACSI. Evidently they were fed up with both the amount they received per cheque and the lenght of time it took to receive payment. Doesn't bode well for Camping cheques.

 

[KeithJ]

Graham - I have heard the same comments from site owners although not seen them in writing as you have. I think that is probably why there is a turnover in sites accepting Camping Cheques.

But don't forget, Camping Cheques is a French company - Alan Rogers and the Caravan Club are merely agents for the French company.