Do we really need to worry about foreign competition?

[Andrew_374383565]

I am not so sure if the question on British manufacturers surviving is as relevant as you might assume.
Caravanning in this country really gained popularity after the second world war, in a period of austerity, basically it was a cheap, affordable holiday, Butlins and Pontins were the alternative, with the idea of travelling abroad out of most peoples reach.
During the intervening years caravans have improved, offering more facilities, but the fact remains that this type of holiday is really a compromise.

For the 50’s,60,s,70,s generations this appears to be acceptable, but talking to my children there has been a real change in attitude, no more compromise, DIY, second best……….. they can’t understand why my wife and I, should enjoy being cramped up in an aluminium box, clogging up the roads and sharing campsites with what they describe, as a sea of grey hair.

The industry has not done itself any favours, with really ridiculous quality issues, outdated manufacturing techniques and a very complacent attitude to customer service.
On top of this, the perceived cheap caravan holiday is fast pricing itself off the market.

Taking capital costs approaching £20,000, fixed annual expenses such as depreciation, insurance ,servicing and wear and tear exceeding £3000 p.a. and site fees of around £15/20 night, with the average caravan only being used for 3 weeks a year, the costs do not stack up.

I don’t think we need to worry about the loss of British manufacturers, or the unpredictable foreigners, however we do need to worry about the traditional British caravanner, just fading away!

 

[Parksy]

Well it's not about to happen anytime soon Andrew.
Reports indicate a boom in touring caravan sales of both new and used models in the past two years as cash strapped families abandon expensive foreign trips for holidays here in the UK.
Both clubs have seen significant increases in membership applications and at peak holiday times pitches at popular club sites are often fully booked.
Having tried caravan holidays these young families are enjoying the freedom, the activities that they can share, the relatively safe environment for children and they are not treated as sub humans by uncaring airport staff, subject to disruption and inconvenience through industrial action or treated as suspects with obtrusive body scans and security measures.
Caravanning as a hobby isn't particularly cheap but for families it still offers great value for money and they can use their caravan all year round at any time for shorter breaks or weekend rallies.

'Clogging up the roads, Being cramped up in an aluminium box amidst a sea of grey hair' are complete misconceptions typical of the uninformed predjudice commonly displayed towards caravanners and reinforced by sneering media 'personalities'.

It's been proven conclusively after a department of transport experiment on the M5 that caravans are not the cause of road congestion or traffic hold ups, we attend many caravan rallies and the comittee members of our local district association are all below 50 years of age with the majority of them in their thirties with children of all ages, as are the majority of the rally goers, and the 'aluminium metal box' represents a highly mobile en suite hotel room with cooking facilities etc.
Nobody goes on holiday to sit in their hotel room and caravanners don't visit sites just to sit inside their caravans either.

I'd agree that the caravan industry needs to get rid of the 'cottage industry' mentality and to raise manufacturing standards as well as levels of customer care but manufacturing techniques are continuing to evolve and with good investment the industry as a whole will survive and prosper.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi Andrew.
I think the answer to your post is so what?? either caravanning is in your blood or it isn't. the cost becomes irrelevent in the grand scheme of things, all things lose value in monetary terms it is just the pleasure one get out of it in the meantime.
so the kids dont understand it ?? not supprising really as most were brought up in the era of cheap holidays abroad instant communication via mobile phones and the internet and game consoles that kept them glued to a screen for days on end and you talk about them considering a caravan as second best.
the word that is missing from all this is FREEDOM something that is just taken for granted by people that are not old enough to remember anything different.
I well remember being a kid in the 50s and 60s and going to the prison camp called butlins were you were expected to do cetain things at certain times and queue up for an hour in order to do it. and just had to sit there while some "ted bovis" judged the grannys knobbly knees contest. and then the package holidays bit where you sat in a cramped airport for 3 hrs then sat on a crammped plane for 3 hrs and went to a second rate hotel where you drank yourself silly all night slept all morning and then went and laid in the sun all afternoon by the dirty pool (if you could get a lounger off the germans) before going back into the bar for the next night, 10 days without acctually leaving the hotel complex "a bit like butlins with sun" .thanks but no thanks.
yes caravanning has changed over the years in some ways for the better in others for the worse but all in all still worth every penny spent on it, if the young ones dont get it then it's their loss not ours. will caravanning eventually die out was the question. well it might have if the prospect of many years of Austerity had not loomed its ugly head kicking us back to the 50s but then again caravanning seems more popular now than it ever was with most sites fully booked for key dates months in advance so who knows maybe towing the metal box behind the car isn't second rate after all.
colin

 

[Andrew_374383565]

Hello………….thankyou for all your comments…..I think from the club perspective, all is well and I suspect that the boom will continue for a while as the public sector get their lump sums and early pensions in the forthcoming shake up, but in the long term perhaps the media is only reflecting the younger generation. I didn’t start this thread to be controversial and I apologise if anyone feels a bit upset with my comments. After all it will be up the youngsters to decide. Perhaps I should have taken up trainspotting or model making, although I note even Blue Peter doesn’t use squeezy bottles and toilet rolls any more, although I still have my Meccano and does anyone remember Bayko……..
Sorry guys…………..regards Andrew

 

[JohnGriffiths]

If you think about it there is a link between the "Sea of grey hair" and the costing element. Some of us lucky enough to have retired a bit early can make use of the caravan for much more than the 3 weeks or so. We spent 2 months abroad this year and spent approx £600 in site fees. I agree it's still not dirt cheap when you take into account depreciation etc but for us (and the dogs) its the only way.

 

[Andrew_374383565]

Hi Again…………..I think you are all making a very good point, caravanning is really only available to a select number of people. When caravanning was less expensive younger families used them more and this kept the younger element interested. I think in recent years it has been retired dominated in the UK, although in Europe the sites seem much younger.
There is no doubt that the longer you stay away the lower the overall cost in relative terms, but again younger families cannot do this….this is why I say British caravanners could just fade away……….only time will tell

 

[joeby]

not all caravanners just take holidays in the van , we have had 55 nights away in the van since january , going as far south as Spain , but also next month we are flying off to Australia for a month , so there nothing stopping any body combining the two , and we will still have another trip in the van before the new year

 

[Parksy]

Hello………….thankyou for all your comments…..I think from the club perspective, all is well and I suspect that the boom will continue for a while as the public sector get their lump sums and early pensions in the forthcoming shake up, but in the long term perhaps the media is only reflecting the younger generation. I didn’t start this thread to be controversial and I apologise if anyone feels a bit upset with my comments. After all it will be up the youngsters to decide. Perhaps I should have taken up trainspotting or model making, although I note even Blue Peter doesn’t use squeezy bottles and toilet rolls any more, although I still have my Meccano and does anyone remember Bayko……..
Sorry guys…………..regards Andrew

Don't worry Andrew, it's a good valid dabating point and nobody would be upset by your comments.
Caravan ownership needn't be prohibitively expensive. Many first time caravanners start off with a relatively inexpensive used caravan and certified sites start at around £8 per unit per night.
Caravan insurance is desirable but not compulsory and the price of the premium would reflect the sum insured anyway. Many families with children enjoy weekend rallying for around £6 p.u.p.n. all year round so caravanning is no longer just the preserve of elderly couples with lots of disposable income.
Even certain sections of the media are beginning to acknowledge the growing popularity of caravanning, local news stories and newspaper articles are beginning to be more positive about caravans and those of us who use them. I think that I read somewhere that caravanning is now considered to be 'cool' and because the economic climate doesn't look as though it will improve for quite a while I think that the lots of 'thirty somethings' with children will see caravan 'staycations' as a viable option rather than risk their money on the horrors of airports and travel firm bankruptcies when choosing a holiday.

 

[Andrew_374383565]

Thanks Parksy.............no offence intended,,,,regards Andrew