Caravan enthusiasts add extra £20m for rural economy

Car hire customers and other tourists who went camping last year helped bring in an extra £20 million to rural economies.

This was because around 500,000 more bed nights were booked – bringing the total on Caravan Club sites to six million.

Overall, members of the organisation spent £400 million in various areas – which the club describes as a real boost for local economies.

Members have long been important contributors, the body noted, spending money at visitor attractions, restaurants, shops and on fuel and the investment does not include pitch fees so all of the money went directly to local enterprises.

Nick Lomas, the Caravan Club’s director of marketing, said: "The Club’s 200-strong sites network had a fantastic year in 2009 and 2010 looks set to be equally buoyant, which is great news for the domestic tourism industry."

And the club recently announced that car hire customers planning a caravanning holiday would be given the opportunity to improve their driving skills.

Click here for more information on car hire