Haven Holidays reported a 38 per cent increase in sales of “static” caravans this summer as cash-strapped Britons shunned (suddenly expensive) overseas breaks for cheaper ones in the UK.

Haven, one of Britain’s biggest caravan park operators and part of the Bourne Leisure Group, said that it had sold 2,500 caravans on mainly coastal sites since the summer season began in mid-March. It means that 25,000, or about half, of the caravans in its 34 holiday parks are now owned by third parties. Cornwall and Wales have proven to be particularly popular, with sales in those areas more than doubling this summer, Haven said.

Naomi Woodstock, senior product manager at Haven, said: “A lot more people are holidaying in Britain now and that’s making a huge difference. More and more people are coming to the parks and typically it is those who have had a holiday with us and enjoyed it that buy the caravans

“We have also noticed a rise in the demographic. A lot of people that would traditionally have gone overseas are now visiting the parks and buying caravans.” In some cases, people are even buying the caravans as an investment at a time when banking savings rates are low. A typical caravan costs about £18,000 and can be rented out for between £500 and £1,000 during August, the peak of the holiday season. Top-of-the range models can cost as much as £80,000, although they can earn more in rentals.

A buyer can use their caravan or sub-let it, privately or through Haven. Haven is happy to sell caravans in its parks because, after the sale, it continues to receive a fee from the owner for managing the site.

Taken From Times Online

I found this article on the Daily Mail’s website about the resurgence in popularity of caravan holidays.

“No-one can accuse caravans of being stuck in the past. These much-derided British mobile homes are busy re-inventing themselves and in danger of becoming trendy.

While the standard net curtain model remains ever popular, a new genre of caravan is revitalising the industry at a time when more people are holidaying at home.

The Caravan Club, which counts Helen Mirren and Billie Piper among its members, and Take That’s Mark Owen and model Nell McAndrew as fans, reports that holiday bookings are up by 40 per cent compared with last summer.

And the rival Camping and Caravanning Club, which has the outward-bound Bear Grylls as an ardent supporter, has seen a similar surge in interest this year.

Celebrities might regard caravanning as a way to return to the simple pleasures in life.

For the rest of us – particularly 35 to 44-year-olds, who, according to VisitBritain, are the most likely to do – it’s a leisure pursuit which needs to fulfil our dictates on comfort and eco-friendly credentials.

Dick Shone, the Sussex-based founder of Boutique Caravans, is leading the revolution. ‘There are people of my generation, approaching 50, whose main asset is their house who are thinking about downsizing to park homes for retirement. But when I looked at what was on offer, the aesthetic was rather old-fashioned,’ says Shone, an art publisher.

He decided to fill the gap and designed the Indy home, which retails from £75,000. Its simple but super-insulated wood cladding and glass exteriors blend in with the surroundings, while inside, it looks more smart city apartment than mobile home, with full-size beds, power showers and top-brand kitchens.

The Indy, designed mainly as a holiday home, can also be used in the garden as an annexe or office.

‘The benefits are it can be delivered on a truck and installed in a day, so there’s less impact on the environment than building an extension. And it’s far cheaper than an extension or home office,’ says Shone.

It’s energy-efficient, with underfloor heating and ventilators that expel air and transfer fresh air to reduce the need for heating.

Shone’s other designs include The Edge, a modernist mobile home inspired by Mies Van der Rohe, with floor-to-ceiling insulated glass walls, ‘intended to be a permanent residence,’ says Shone, and The Break, a holiday home space, with sound systems throughout, even in the shower, and rear projector TV screens so you can watch films from your deck.

Prices start at around £40,000. All three designs have flexible internal layouts and all sit on a mobile chassis, which means they can be sited anywhere on your own land without the need for planning permission.

‘I’m hoping to find a site to turn into an Indy home park, ideally on the South Coast,’ says Shone.

For those more likely to be on the move, try the teardrop-shaped T@B, available from Blackmore Vale Leisure from £7,990. The lightweight, two-berth version weighs just 800kg when fully-loaded, ‘which opens up a far wider market beyond people with big cars, as you can tow this with a Mini,’ says Blackmore Vale’s Paul Hopkins.

‘We meet lots of people who say “I don’t even like caravans, but I love this”,’ he says.

The T@B 400 four-berth version, which starts at £14,900, includes a stargazing electric window.

For the ultimate in mobile chic, there’s the bullet-like Airstream, a Thirties American icon, as owned by Brad Pitt and Denzil Washington. Now it has been streamlined to suit UK and European roads and costs from £29,950.

It is stylish, with interiors in polished aluminium and black leather, but hard-wearing and economical too, using 20 per cent less fuel than the typical caravan.

‘I fell in love with the curves and design of the Airstream as a child,’ says 33-year-old Jack Horner, manager of Frukt music marketing agency in London, who is looking at buying an Indy home.

‘I’d like my son to experience that same sense of freedom,’ he says.

‘Even the memory of it heaving down with rain, huddled around a table playing a board game, makes me feel nostalgic.’ ”