Creating an Easter Getaway: Bank Holiday Tips for Campsites and Caravan Parks

Despite the rising cost of living, the British public is still hugely interested in getting away from it all this Easter, which presents a great opportunity for small businesses. Campsites and caravan sites offering affordable bank holiday staycations could profit immensely during the coming bank holiday.

In this article, we’ll look at how you can get your campsite or caravan site in top shape to accommodate the expected bank holiday traffic. We’ll dive into bank holiday staycation statistics to give you an idea of the scale of the industry and the demographics involved, then provide our top four tips on preparing your property for customers looking forward to an Easter getaway.

Market research will likely play a large role when preparing your campsite or caravan park for Easter. You’ll want to look at the demographics that may be interested in renting a space with you over the Easter holidays, as well as the size of the market available.

Below, we’ve provided a few statistics to give you a jump start on your bank holiday staycation research:

• In 2022, the total number of camping and caravan trips reached an estimated 16.7 million. It may seem like an old-fashioned or traditional way to spend a holiday, but the industry is still alive and well. As such, making preparations for events like the Easter bank holidays is an important part of ensuring you get a share of this thriving market.
• Similarly, there is a considerable amount of money being spent within the staycation industry. For example, £2.7 billion was spent on camping trips by people in the UK in 2021.
• While other holiday-focused businesses like hotels may want to specifically accommodate tourists from abroad, your camping or caravan site may want to go in the opposite direction, specifically catering for a British audience. There is a large market for British staycations, specifically for caravaneers — of the 755,000 touring caravans in use, 75% wanted to tour within the UK
• Specifically looking at Easter getaways, the market is still enormous: 6.5 million brits planned Easter staycations in 2023.
• Remember your target demographics when marketing over Easter. For instance, if you run a campsite, you may want to market towards men to get a larger market share: men go camping 2.2 times a year on average versus 0.96 times a year for women.
• Finally, even though camping and caravanning are typically self-sufficient holidays, don’t overlook the appeal of luxury extras: 69% of campers and caravaneers would pay more to stay on a site with private bathroom facilities.

Campers and caravaneers will likely bring most of the equipment they need along with them but there are still a few things they’ll expect the site to have on hand. Before you get a rush of new customers over Easter, review what you have and what you need. Here are a few essentials to help facilitate your guests’ Easter getaways:

• Benches and tables
• Administrative tools and software, like a booking management system
• Campfire, fire pits, or similar designated fire areas
• Changing, showering, and toilet facilities with hot water
• Clothes washing facilities
• Fire protection equipment
• Hookup metres for charging up RV or motorhome batteries
• Phone lines and internet connectivity in case of emergences

If repairs aren’t possible, and you find some purchases you simply have to make, remember to look into small business finance options, such as revenue-based finance.

Get ahead of the competition by marketing your availability as early as possible. This way, you may be able to fill up your calendar long before the Easter rush, allowing you more time to think and prepare.

Effective marketing differs depending on your target market, but paying for a listing on Campsites.co.uk or Pitchup is a good start for any staycation site. As always, social media is a highly effective tool. In particular, try to craft posts about new features you’re offering over Eastern or even special bank holiday discounts.

Public liability insurance is essential for camp or caravan site owners, as it ensures that you are covered if a guest or member of the public claims they’ve been injured or suffered property damage because of your business activities.

Check if your coverage is in date, or if it will expire by Easter. As well as providing coverage in case of injury and damage, public liability insurance is required if you are looking to become a Certificated Site.

Beyond providing the space for people to camp or park their caravan on, consider what additional extras you could offer to make your site a more attractive spot for a bank holiday staycation.

Alongside more functional extras like recycling bins, drinking and hot water taps, seating areas, camp kitchens and washing up sinks, you could hire out more luxurious extras to increase your revenue.

Consider adding a charge to use fire pits, then sell barbecue meat packs to enjoy if Easter brings some spring sunshine. If you’re near good biking trails, rent out bicycles to campers. Alternatively, you could sell camping and caravan supplies from your main office.

Some of the improvements we’ve listed don’t come cheap, but they have the potential to significantly increase your revenue if implemented in time for Easter. If you want to improve your profits over the Easter bank holiday, but can’t afford to spruce up your campsite, consider small business finance options, such as Rev&U.

Rev&U allows small businesses to easily access funding that they can then spend on any business improvements they’d like. The funding from Rev&U is low-risk, and repayments are based on your monthly income, so you don’t have to worry about unaffordable repayments.

At 365 finance, we can provide both long and short-term financial solutions, with revenue-based funding available from £10,000 to £400,000 in capital. Apply for Rev&U today without affecting your credit score, or speak to our team to find out how we can help your business. To find out more, head to our website.