Caravanners 'boost rural economy' (From Herald Series)

Caravanners 'boost rural economy'

10:28am Saturday 26th December 2009

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Caravanners may be the bane of Jeremy Clarkson's life but they are a boon to local economies, according to latest figures.

Caravan Club members contributed £400m to UK rural tourism economies during 2009.

The figure was made up from shopping, eating out, buying local produce and visiting local attractions.

Of the £400m, a total of £322m was spent in England, £40m in Wales, £36.5m in Scotland and £1.5m in Northern Ireland.

Nick Lomas, director of marketing for the Caravan Club, said: "With over 1.5 million caravanners, motor caravanners and trailer tenters in the UK, in 2009 all the talk was of the resurgence of the Great British holiday with value for money playing a major role in the family decision-making process.

"The 2009 local economy figures prove exactly how popular and cool caravanning and the great outdoors really is. All the signs are that rural economies are set to benefit even further in 2010.

"And even better news for the British economy is that caravan manufacturers are seeing a significant increase in demand for new caravans."

About 100,000 people are expected to attend the Boat and Caravan Show which runs at the NEC exhibition centre in Birmingham from February 23 to 28, 2010.

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