This holiday park market report looks into how consumers are responding to holiday parks and centres across the UK. Examining preferences from your customers’ point of view can enable adaptive innovation and growth. Below we provide the key topics covered and offer hand-selected findings from the full report document.
Key Topics Covered
- Consumer experience with UK holiday centres and holiday park breaks.
- Demographic profile of visitors.
- Duration of trips and who people stay with at holiday centres and parks.
- Consumer intentions to visit holiday centres and parks over the next 12 months.
- Visitor satisfaction levels and recommendations for operators to improve satisfaction.
- Awareness and usage of the leading brands and consumer brand perceptions.
UK Holiday Park Market Overview
Economic troubles aren’t stopping consumers’ holiday plans, with plans to book a holiday reaching a peak. Yet, the stress of the cost of living is impacting holiday spend, with only 4% saying the cost-of-living crisis is “no longer a problem”.
Holiday parks market size
Estimating the market size of UK holiday centres and parks is challenging, as there is not a firm market distinction between holiday centres/parks, and camping/caravanning parks. With this in mind, Mintel has estimated based on leading holiday centre/park operators that the value of ‘holiday centres and parks’ is £3.5 billion total revenue, up 20% on pre-pandemic levels.
Holiday Parks Market Insights
- Physical activity holidays appeal. More than a quarter of travellers have taken both a holiday centre/park trip and a physical activity holiday in the past five years. Holiday park brands have a key opportunity here to offer their own physical activities or partner with specialist providers.
- The ‘extended short break’ remains the most popular holiday length. Holiday centres and parks are currently a short break market, benefiting from the growing consumer trend towards more frequent—but shorter—holidays in recent years.
- The vast majority are satisfied with their holiday centre/park visit. Nine in 10 consumers were at the least ‘satisfied’ with their holiday centre/park visit overall. Scenery is driving this satisfaction with most stating satisfaction on that front.
What’s Next for the UK Holiday Park Market?
While satisfaction is high among holiday park/centre visitors, there is room to appeal to evolving consumer preferences. Industry players can look to expand offerings to include physical activity and wellness, and begin incorporating sustainability as a key part of their service and messaging.
Buy the full report for a complete look at real questions with real answers from your potential customers.
Report Scope
This Report covers the market for UK holiday centres and holiday parks.
There is no clear-cut distinction between these categories, however, most sites offer a mix (in varying degrees) of accommodation types, facilities such as food and drink, entertainment and activities for adults and children.
This Report focuses more on larger-scale operators and sites, for example Center Parcs, Butlin’s, Haven and Parkdean Resorts, plus a range of ‘mid-tier’ holiday park brands, rather than small-scale camping and caravanning sites. For more detailed coverage of the full camping and caravanning market, please see Camping and Caravanning – UK, 2024.
Meet the Expert
Jennie researches and writes reports on the Travel & Leisure sectors, having joined Mintel in September 2021. She gathers compelling and actionable insight across demographic groups. Jennie previously acquired research and analytical experience whilst completing her Master of Research (MRes) in Political Economy from the University of Bristol.
Growth is tepid, and big innovations are rare. Still there’s cause for optimism as brands embed intelligence into their products and launch innovative campaigns.
Jennie Bryans
Senior Travel & Leisure Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the holiday centres and parks market
- Ensure holiday centres and parks are accessible for all
- Promote collaborations with local businesses and attractions
- Brands have opportunities to encourage visitors to stay longer at centres and parks
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market predictions
- What consumers want and why
- Nearly three-quarters of Brits have visited a holiday centre/park in the last five years
- Haven’s coastal holiday parks remain firm favourite
- Graph 1: holiday centre/holiday park brands used in the last five years, 2022 and 2024
- Lower-income households are more inclined to opt for an extended short break
- Graph 2: length of stay at a holiday centre or park, by household income, 2024
- Brands do well to promote family-friendly options
- Quality of food and drink and expanding the range of daytime activities are points of attention
- What brands can do to maintain and improve on customer satisfaction levels
- Innovation and marketing
- Pontins launches adult-only breaks with Strictly Come Dancing theme
- Center Parcs focuses on experiential holidays
- Haven and Parkdean Resorts can benefit from their trustworthy reputation
- Butlin’s is still affected by ‘basic’ associations
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Market Dynamics
- Market overview
- Market value up by around 20% on pre-pandemic level
- The top holiday centre operators
- The top holiday park operators
- Macro-economic factors
- Falling inflation reduces pressure on household finances
- Graph 3: CPI inflation rate, 2021-24
- Consumer confidence is stronger than one year ago
- Graph 4: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
- The emotional impact of the cost of living crisis is still prevalent
- Graph 5: perception of the state of the cost of living crisis in the UK, 2024
- Holiday bookings and booking intentions
- The number of people booking a holiday reached a record high at the start of 2024
- Graph 6: booked a holiday in the last three months, 2022-24
- Plans to book a holiday are up year-on-year
- Graph 7: plans to book a holiday in the next three months, 2022-24
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest year globally on record
- Graph 8: annual average temperature in the UK, 2014-23
- Holiday centres and parks must adapt to cater towards the ageing population…
- Graph 9: UK population estimates and projections, by age, 2024-34
- …as well as older children in families
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What Consumers Want and Why
- UK holiday types
- Nearly a quarter of Brits have taken a holiday centre/park break in the last five years
- Graph 10: types of UK holiday experienced in the last five years, 2022 and 2024
- Holiday centres/parks should partner with physical activity providers
- Nearly three-quarters of Brits have visited a holiday centre/park in the last five years
- Eight out of 10 Younger Millennials have visited a holiday centre within the past five years
- Graph 11: visitors to holiday centres and parks in the last five years, by generation, 2024
- Holiday centres and parks remain a popular option amongst young families
- Holiday centres and parks appeal to broad range of household budgets
- Holiday centres and parks visited
- Haven’s coastal holiday parks remain firm favourite
- Graph 12: holiday centre/holiday park brands used in the last five years, 2022 and 2024
- Center Parcs attracts higher household income groups
- Graph 13: holiday centre or park visitors, by household income, 2024
- Consumers visit a range of holiday centres and parks
- Older holidaymakers tend to show greater loyalty towards a particular holiday centre/park
- Graph 14: repertoire analysis of holiday centres/parks visited in the last five years, by age, 2024
- Younger holidaymakers more keen to explore a variety of holiday centres/parks
- Most major park operators have high levels of consumer awareness
- Duration of stay in holiday centres and parks
- The ‘extended short break’ remains the most popular holiday length
- Graph 15: holiday centre/holiday park visits, by duration in the last five years, 2022 and 2024
- Lower-income households are more inclined to opt for an extended short break
- Graph 16: length of stay at a holiday centre or park, by household income, 2024
- Middle-income households most likely to stay for 7+ nights
- Brands should cater for the extended short break market
- How brands can encourage consumers to take longer breaks
- Holiday groups for holiday centres and parks
- Holiday centre/park breaks are often a family affair
- Graph 17: holiday centre/park visits, by companions in the last five years, 2022 and 2024
- Brands do well to promote family-friendly options…
- …as well as romantic getaways and group holidays
- Holiday centres and parks offer ideal settings for commemorating special family milestones
- Groups of friends more satisfied with evening entertainment
- Satisfaction levels of holiday centres and parks
- Vast majority are satisfied with most recent holiday centre/park visit
- Consumers rate the quality of experience, but it comes at a cost
- Graph 18: consumer satisfaction levels with holiday centres and parks, 2024
- Scenery comes out on top for holidaymakers
- Generation Zs most satisfied with quality of food and drink
- Graph 19: satisfaction levels for quality of food/drink at holiday centres/parks, by generation, 2024
- Quality of food and drink and expanding the range of daytime activities are points of attention
- What brands can do to maintain and improve on customer satisfaction levels
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Haven launches a range of initiatives
- Elveden Forest Spa gets a £6.5 million refurbishment
- Butlin’s launches all-inclusive drink deal
- Forest Holidays announces new park in the Scottish Borders
- Pontins launches adult-only breaks with Strictly Come Dancing theme
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Center Parcs focuses on experiential holidays
- Forest Holidays promotes its nature offering
- Butlin’s enlists celebrities to promote its entertainment offerings
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Brand Research
- Mintel’s brand research in the holiday centres and parks market
- Center Parcs continues to excel when it comes to customer satisfaction
- Butlin’s leads the way with awareness levels
- Graph 20: brand awareness levels, 2024
- Center Parcs holds highest levels of trust
- Haven and Parkdean Resorts can benefit from their trustworthy reputation
- Forest Holidays is recognised as an ethical choice
- Center Parcs prides itself on its quality offering
- Butlin’s is still affected by ‘basic’ associations
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Appendix
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Snoop methodology
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