Holiday parks in Burnham-On-Sea and Brean have seen a surge in demand as holidaymakers take ‘staycations’ instead of travelling abroad due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Demand for holidays is up, say the holiday parks, due to foreign travel concerns but because many have had to reduce their capacity to allow for social distancing and safety measures, this has hit their overall trade.
Burnham-On-Sea.com has spoken to several holiday parks in the area to get their feedback on how the delayed start to the tourist season is going.
Alan House, Director at Brean’s Holiday Resort Unity, says: “The holiday park is very busy and demand is huge, however we have reduced our capacity to allow for social distancing. We have also seen an increase in customers purchasing caravan holiday homes and lodges where they can holiday and relax, safe in the knowledge that it’s their own property and no airport is involved!”
“We have reduced our pricing this summer to allow for the reduced entertainment on offer. Whilst the demand is positive both for now and for 2021 we are unable to accommodate people in our bars and restaurants in the normal volumes so income is considerably down. The increase in demand for UK holidays is sure to help local trade and guests are looking to spend more time outside exploring.”
Steve Atkinson at Burnham’s Home Farm Holiday Park adds: “Due to the current situation we decided to limit our onsite touring capacity to 45%. We felt this would allow extra space for our guests who are coming away to stay with us this summer. Currently for September our rental accommodation is seeing bookings being placed earlier and for longer periods from what we are used to.”
“We are hoping that the good weather stays longer as this will certainly help trade later into the season. With many people deciding to stay at home this year we are seeing a high enquiry rate for people wishing to a buy static caravan which will have a good knock of effect for next season.”
Jon Harris, Director at Brean’s Warren Farm, adds: “Although we are pleased to be back open, summer trade is significantly down on last year due to us operating to a reduced capacity on the holiday park and inside our venues.”
“This is to make social distancing easier and to keep our customers and staff safe, which is our utmost priority. There is a lot of demand for staycations at the moment, so we hope that this popularity continues after the summer and beyond, to help holiday parks recover from this crisis.“
