Since the end of the first lockdown we have seen strong demand for Holiday Complexes including camp sites, glamping sites, caravan parks and other self-catering holiday accommodation.
This demand continues to outstrip supply and even though we are now well into the Autumn period and coming out of a second lockdown, we have seen, for example, in October viewings still 30% up on the same period last year. We are now rapidly heading towards Christmas and, we feel that we will see renewed interest and high viewing levels return in the new year.
The current Covid pandemic has created demand through freeing up people’s ability to work anywhere with a good internet connection or perhaps only visiting a physical office once or twice a week. Add to this to a background of demand for better lifestyles outside of urban centres, particularly from the South East, but in truth from all over the UK, to move to the South West of England, which provides the wonderful combination of coast, countryside and accessibility.
The very strong Residential Sales market within the UK has also provided a platform for otherwise non-proceedable buyers with substantial properties to sell, being able to seek out and view potential purchases of Holiday Complexes and within weeks present themselves as proceedable buyers having launched, marketed and agreed a sale on their own properties. Indeed, we have agreed a number of sales this summer in just such circumstances. This has increased the amount of proceedable buyers to more than we would have seen in the last two years in particular.
While we have recently held our breath with the new Government tiers 2 and 3 restrictions announcements, in the time that has passed since, we have not seen any diminished activity and buyers are registering with us in undiminished numbers, showing the resilience of demand in the sector.
Combined with this, there is a wider perceived opportunity within the self-catering holiday market that with a captive audience within the UK for the foreseeable future, holiday bookings are going to be strong, and therefore, offer the support that a new business owner would wish to have in the early months and years of their enterprise.
We see this trend continuing into the early part of next year.
