25th Nov 2019
November was a busy month for The Slatter Group and we were proud to exhibit once again at the annual Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show.
The show runs alongside the Farm Business Innovation Show, Family Attraction Expo, and Leisure Expo with attendees able to move freely between the interconnecting and complementary events.
Needless to say, the shows always provide a feast for the senses, with exhibitors across the industry showing off their latest and greatest, well…innovations!
Attending year on year, it’s also a great place to get an idea of how the industry is evolving, and what trends to look out for in 2020.
With a 27% increase in attendees compared to last year, one key takeaway from this year was clear from observation, let alone the data itself: the increase in farmers and landowners in attendance.
With The Telegraph reporting earlier this year that ‘Farmers reap more profits from glamping than growing food’, it’s no surprise that many landowners are looking to turn unused or underutilised land into profitable facilities and holiday destinations.
Diversification is becoming key to the strategies of many farmers looking to the future – and using their land for hireable facilities or holiday parks is proving to be a smart move, especially given the growing health and fitness sector (20% in the last 5 years) and increase in UK bound tourism. A recent Visit Britain study shows a 10% year-on-year increase to £7.2bn in the amount spent on UK bound tourism May – July 2019.
While an increased appetite for UK tourism and holiday park destinations provides plenty of opportunity for landowners – it also comes with increased competition and high standards expected from consumers.
It’s not enough to designate a few acres for camping or a 5-a-side football pitch. Water and soil engineering need to be considered, with the correct groundwork undertaken to prepare any new facilities on your land.
With the recent acquisition of White Horse Contractors , The Slatter Group are ideally placed to support entrepreneurial landowners with drainage, soil, and water engineering expertise. Learn more about White Horse Contractors here.
With experience building carparks, roadways, and hard standings for a broad range of clients; including Eton College, Royal Holloway University, and Oxford City Council, S&C Slatter’s in-house surfacing and civils team are ideally placed to build pitches for your new glamping venture.
This drive for diversification doesn’t just apply to new faces. Increasing levels of competition, coupled with ‘staycationers’ seeking new and exciting options, means that even established Holiday Park owners are having to expand their offerings to attract and retain holidaymakers – with sporting facilities in high demand.
Leisure operators looking to provide outstanding facilities to attract more customers can look no further than S&C Slatter, with over 25 years of building safe, long-lasting, all-weather sporting facilities that can withstand high usage and can even be rented out of season to generate additional revenue.
If you’re a landowner looking to make the most of your spare land, or a leisure operator looking to provide the very best facilities to your customers, get in touch to see how we can help you to realise your potential in this growing market.
That’s it from the Holiday Parks and Innovations this year, we look forward to seeing what 2020 brings!
