Caravan parks 'boosting economy'

Holiday parks are 'more relaxing' than airports,' says a representative body

Caravan parks are each worth £700,000 to the economy of mid Wales, claims an organisation representing the industry.

The British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH and HPA) says the contribution the parks make to the region is "often overlooked".

Wales Tourism Week 2009, running until 29 March, aims to promote the work of 7,000 tourism businesses in Wales.

A tourism summit in December heard the strength of the euro and the credit crunch could boost Welsh tourism.

Around 104,000 people are employed in the Wales' tourism industry in full and part time jobs, with the sector worth around £1.5bn to the Welsh economy.

The assembly government has invested £2.2m investment in tourism marketing, distributing around two million leaflets between January and March to previous visitors to Wales.

In addition to newspaper advertising, a 40-second broadcast starring comedian and radio presenter Rhod Gilbert has been shown on TV and, for the first time, in cinemas.

'Holiday choices'

The BH and HPA said the mid Wales area appealed to caravan owners because it offered "such a good package and people here are so friendly".

Julia Warren-Kyle, who runs a holiday park near Machynlleth, said: "With all the doom and gloom about the economy, people are looking to escape to the countryside from the stress of busy lives for some well earned relaxation time.

"It's a much more relaxing option than the trials of busy airports and rising foreign exchange costs."

At a Welsh Assembly Government tourism summit in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, in December, heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones said economic uncertainty was likely to make people "think harder and differently about their holidays choices".

He said people would want "real value and authentic quality, not over-indulgence and ostentation".