| The UK Holiday Park has become one of the | | | | accommodation and provided customers with a |
| great national institutions. Generations of families, | | | | much greater range of choice. |
| from the turn of the century onwards, have left | | | | Secondly the entertainment offering changed |
| the UK's cities to head for their two weeks | | | | enormously. Some UK parks began to specialise in |
| summer holidays on the British coastline. | | | | just offering specific entertainment breaks. Top |
| The Holiday Park had a fairly humble beginning, | | | | comedians, shows and musical acts have begun |
| essentially offering accommodation, entertainment | | | | to top the bill and themed weekends specialising in |
| and food all under one roof, more often than not | | | | entertainment like county western, 60's revivals |
| on the edge of a large traditional seaside town like | | | | and dance and sport breaks. Parks have also |
| Blackpool, Skegness or Great Yarmouth. | | | | become better at targeting key groups like adult |
| These holiday parks were very popular with | | | | weekends, family activity holidays or special nights |
| families looking for affordable holidays, at a time | | | | for stag and hen groups. |
| when overseas travel was expensive and | | | | Thirdly the traditional three meals a day offering |
| unobtainable for a large percentage of the general | | | | of parks has probably seen the greatest change. |
| public. | | | | To adapt to the change needs of holiday makers |
| However as overseas travel became more | | | | more and more parks have began to offer self |
| affordable Britain saw the rise of the package | | | | catering options rather than providing full or half |
| holiday in the 70's and 80's, which meant that the | | | | board and charging extra for meals. Some of the |
| UK holidays no longer offered the value that was | | | | larger chain parks have gone even further and |
| such a unique selling point for many of the popular | | | | don't offer any catering, just inviting the |
| parks. With the new found competition from | | | | restaurants and fast food places to offer food on |
| guaranteed sun, cheap accommodation, food and | | | | the Park. However, as the parks themselves |
| drink, UK holiday parks came under increasing | | | | have diversified, offering different things to |
| pressure. | | | | different holiday markets, so has the catering, and |
| The challenging times that faced the industry | | | | some holiday parks now make a virtue of the |
| were definitely compounded by a change in | | | | fact that they offer three top quality meals all |
| perception of the holiday park experience. When | | | | day. |
| you mentioned holiday parks people began to | | | | One example of a company who stayed ahead |
| think of the popular TV series Hi-de-Hi and never | | | | of the game was Potters Leisure Resort. As the |
| ending rounds of knobbly knees competitions, | | | | UK's only Five Star Independent Park they had |
| donkey rides and red coat style entertainment. | | | | long been investing to top quality infrastructure, |
| Unfortunately combined with cold and windy | | | | entertainment and catering and the initial costs of |
| chalets and indifferent food! | | | | the project have been rewarded with a |
| The holiday park has however come a long way | | | | reputation for top quality holiday park experience. |
| since its humble beginnings and in the last ten | | | | But Potters aren't the only company offering top |
| years the industry has seen a massive revolution | | | | quality park style holidays. More and more |
| in the breadth, quality and style of holiday parks | | | | developments in the UK are building the lodge |
| available in the UK. | | | | style accommodation away from the traditional |
| Like many UK tourism business the independent | | | | holiday park centres of seaside towns. The inland |
| and multiple holiday park owners began to see a | | | | lodge style developments have specifically moved |
| decrease in the interest in their holiday offering. | | | | away from the 'park' image and now offer |
| The park owners came up with a number of | | | | champagne and hot tubs style breaks in a quiet |
| solutions to counter the perception and the | | | | and secluded rural environment. |
| improve the quality of the holiday park | | | | Parks are springing up right across the UK on the |
| experience. | | | | coast and inland and more than ever before the |
| Firstly the accommodation was upgraded. | | | | UK holiday park experience offers something for |
| Customers were no longer happy with basic | | | | everyone from traditional entertainment in Great |
| facilities, so holiday parks spent millions on | | | | Yarmouth, to five star luxury in the Cotswolds. |
| improving accommodation facilities, from upgrading | | | | With so much innovation in the industry holiday |
| the standard rooms to developing penthouse | | | | parks will continue to offer more of what the |
| apartments with plasma TV's, four poster beds | | | | holidaymaker wants and needs - a top quality |
| and room service. This resulted in holiday parks | | | | holiday experience. |
| giving a more upmarket feel to all their | | | | |