NCC holds Senedd briefing
On 27 January the NCC met with Welsh Assembly Members in the Senedd to promote the caravan sector in Wales.
The event, which attracted 14 AMs, gave the NCC, the trade association for the touring caravan, motorhome, caravan holiday home and park home industries, the chance to brief policy makers on the importance of the industry across Wales.
The GB Tourism Survey 2014 showed that holiday and touring parks alone in Wales received: 2.1m trips (33% of all holiday trips in Wales) 9.1m tourist bednights; and £299m spend (23% of all holiday spend in Wales). In fact, over 70% of Wales’ bedspaces are in Camping/Caravanning.
The NCC, who through its subsidiary NCC Events, organise the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show, has teamed up with VisitWales who will be hosting ‘VisitWales Wednesday’ on 24 February at the Birmingham Show.
Across the UK, the caravan sector employs around 130,000 people and represents a UK manufacturing success story, with some 95 per cent of touring caravans in the UK made here.
In addition to the 550,000 touring caravans and more than 205,000 motorhomes in use across the UK, there are more than 330,000 caravan holiday homes – a total of over one million leisure accommodation vehicles. In the housing sector there are around 100,000 park homes (mobile homes) in use.
NCC Deputy Director General, Alicia Dunne said:
“The caravan industry is hugely important for the Welsh economy and I want to thank Welsh Assembly Members for being so supportive of our sector. Holiday parks provide good value, family-friendly addition to ‘staycation’ tourist accommodation and touring in a caravan or motorhome is a fantastic way to explore Wales in this its Year of Adventure.
“Working together, we can grow our businesses and provide more employment opportunities and deliver outstanding holiday experiences. Already there are well over two million caravan holiday trips each year – if we can increase this in Wales, we can support Welsh industry and bring additional income to many areas, particularly rural and coastal ones.
“Similarly, residential park homes offer a unique and affordable housing choice for thousands of people across Wales and working with the Welsh Government and local authorities we can help make this a more accessible housing option/lifestyle.”
At the event, the AM learnt about the NCC’s services and initiatives, including the NCC Approved Code Schemes which provide additional consumer protection, the NCC Training Academy that aims to enhance skills of those working in the sector, and the Central Registration & Identification Scheme (CRiS), the national register for UK touring caravans, which provides a service similar to that of the DVLA for vehicles.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. For more information about the NCC visit www.thencc.org.uk
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