A parks holidays firm says it has spent more than £4m on new facilities for two of its east coast sites in the run-up to this year’s holiday season in response to a boom in ‘staycation’ breaks.
Carlton Meres Holiday Park, near Saxmundham, and Broadland Sands Holiday Park, near Lowestoft, which are owned by Hastings-based Park Holidays UK, both look set for a record year following the major investments.
Carlton Meres' £2.5m upgrade includes a new architect-designed indoor swimming pool, a hi-tech entertainment centre where top-class acts will appear, and a new bar-restaurant.
MORE - Carlton Meres Country Park sold to Park Holidays for £13mBroadland Sands at Corton has a new £1.6m swimming pool with a 45-metre flume and an adjacent paddling pool, a new dinosaur-themed adventure golf course, and a new climbing wall providing a range of challenges for all abilities.
The firm's director Tony Clish says the two Suffolk parks are among the most popular of the 30 holiday centres in the group, which stretch from Devon, through to the East Anglian coast.
"There is no doubt that we have benefited from the staycation boom of recent years, and we are responding by providing the type of high quality experiences which families are seeking out," he said.
The vast majority of the firm's Suffolk bookings this year were from repeat visitors or as a result of a personal recommendation, with both parks receiving 'great' reviews from guests, he added. A growing number of families are also looking to buy a holiday home at their parks, suggesting the trend is likely to continue.
"Our guests spend literally millions of pounds in the region each year, and this benefits other Suffolk businesses, including many smaller family-owned enterprises, and the people they employ.
"And because these two parks are open virtually all year round, visitor income is more evenly spread over 12 months instead of being focused almost entirely on summer.
"Facilities such as the new swimming pools and other indoor attractions at our Suffolk parks mean that holidays can be taken throughout the four seasons.
"Suffolk's coast and countryside has always been regarded as a quality destination for families, and this recent investment will help reinforce that reputation.
"We're delighted that advance booking figures point strongly to this being a record year for the number of guests welcomed at both Carlton Meres and Broadland Sands."
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