How holiday park guest facilities keep the whole family entertained
Post-pandemic, holiday parks are seeing record numbers of Aussie families booking caravan and camping holidays
For holiday parks, creating memorable guest experiences that include the whole family is the key to happy campers, and returning customers.
After some difficult years due to COVID-19 and border restrictions, holiday parks have seen a record number of Aussies choose to book caravan and camping holidays for their family vacations.
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Brisbane Holiday Village General Manager, Geoff Illich who has worked at the park for 27 years, told AccomNews that the facilities offered on-site for guests were part of the holiday park’s enduring success.
He said: “I think people have reflected on their own childhoods and the memories of camping with their family, and they want their children to experience that too.
“It’s a full resurgence of people getting back to basics.”
Located only 15 minutes outside of Brisbane’s CBD, Mr Illich said providing an environment for guests to enjoy onsite activities was key to their ongoing success. Trends show that holiday park guests typically spend two to three hours enjoying the activities on-site, before venturing out for the day.
He said in his experience: “People will obviously want to go into town, or go to Dreamworld, but we find that guests generally spend those three hours on-site.”
Brisbane Holiday Village boasts several areas for the young and young at heart to have some fun in the sun. In addition to the pool area, playground, tennis courts, and minigolf course, the holiday village also offers larger-than-life games for families to enjoy, with a giant ‘Connect 4’ and a large timber puzzle available to use.
The Village also recently began renting out electric scooters for kids to use while holidaying, and they had proven incredibly popular.
Mr Illich said he had noticed a real change in the behaviour of guests, with families opting to spend time together, more than in previous years.
“There’s a lot less ‘device time’ and a lot more family time,” he said.
“They’re all in the pool together, they’re playing minigolf as a family and they’re enjoying family barbeques.
“They’re getting out of the cabins and getting out in the fresh air. It’s lovely to see and it’s a real trend I’ve seen this year.”
Mr Illich said that while Brisbane Holiday Village was lucky to have 33 acres for facilities, providing free activities on-site was a simple way of creating a memorable guest experience.
“Every school holiday, we’ll organise free activities for the families. We’ll have movie and popcorn nights, petting zoos, pony rides, wildlife shows, balloon art, face painting as well as poolside music and discos,” he said.
“We still need to get more customers back, so offering free activities makes sure families come back but also advocate for us when they leave.
“It means they’ll tell their school friends and work colleagues about us.”
AccomNews reached out to a couple of industry experts who are in the business of providing family-orientated activities.
Founder and Managing Director of Parkitect Australia, Shaun Leicester agreed camping and caravanning has always been a popular holiday choice for Australians.
“Holiday parks are increasingly becoming popular, especially with families”, he said.
“There’s an opportunity for parents to reduce their kid’s screen time and encourage them to explore more outdoor entertainment. Now is the best time to invest in safe, fun, outdoor play areas for your holiday park.”
According to Mr Leicester: “City dwellers dream of escaping to ‘the great outdoors’, to get closer to nature and create memories with friends and family. For many people, holiday parks are also the most economical holiday choice for their family.”
“Before COVID, local destinations were competing with other popular types of holidays like cruises and cheap trips to Bali. Now people are looking for holiday accommodation options closer to home.
“It’s a great time for holiday parks to invest in their guest facilities. It’s a sure way to add value to their accommodation offering and attract more travellers.
“For families, the key to keeping their kids happy and entertained is to choose a holiday park or resort that offers plenty of safe spaces for kids to ride, play and swim.”
AccomNews asked what are the best ways to create safe and fun outdoor play spaces.
He said: “Offering a novelty activity is a great way to attract kids. Not only is it important that it’s fun and popular, but it also has to be safe. A Parkitect Modular Pumptrack not only looks fantastic, but it’s also pre-engineered and easy to install. It’s designed to naturally encourage learning and riding skills in a safe environment”, he explained.
On why creating a great play space in a holiday park or resort makes perfect business sense, he makes three important points:
- Happy kids make happy parents. If you keep kids busy, active, and out of trouble, it makes for the perfect family holiday. That’s why camping and caravan holiday parks with great play facilities are always in demand.
- A safe play area in a holiday park can reduce the risk of injury for kids. Riding bikes, scooters and skateboards around a holiday park is extremely popular with kids of all ages, but it’s not without risk due to traffic and reversing vans. Having dedicated play areas, such as pump tracks, where kids of all ages can ride their bikes, scooters, and skateboards, means kids are safer. It also makes supervision easier.
- Play areas and pump tracks are good for business. Giving your guests plenty of recreational options often leads to increased bookings and longer stays. Pump tracks tend to have a keen following by kids of all ages, therefore holiday parks and resorts offering a pump track are sure to attract kids and encourage their families to stay longer.
Mr Leicester added that feedback from many park managers confirms that providing great recreation options is key to success by increasing bookings and length of stay.
He gave this example: “Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park in South Australia was the first to trial the new Modular Pumptrack during the summer of 2015. It resulted in an increase in night stays and expanded the park’s database to include new families. As a result, they went ahead with a permanent Modular Pumptrack installation.”
“Put simply, a Modular Pumptrack is a playground for all wheels and all ages”, he explained.
“They’re built to cater for bikes, scooters, and skateboards, all year round, so children can ride their choice of wheels on the track, simultaneously with other riders. But Modular Pumptracks are not just for kids. Adults enjoy them too!
“We’re in the business of delivering fun. Our pump tracks work because kids, from toddlers to teens love riding them. Families love that they’re a safe yet fun way for their children to be outdoors and active. Playground designers appreciate that they get a pre-engineered, proven product that communities enjoy.
“We’re in the business of delivering joy. Our pump tracks work because kids and teens love riding them. Families love that they’re a safe yet fun way for their children to be outdoors and active. Playground designers appreciate that they get a pre-engineered, proven product that communities enjoy.”
Peninsula Pool Contractors Managing Director, Chris Pettigrew shared his opinion on providing family water play spaces.
He told us that although all guests have differing needs or wants when it comes to water activities while on vacation, keeping kids occupied is probably the most important consideration for holiday park guests.
He said: “Water play areas, splash pads and generally anything interactive are most popular.”
Because kids love to be active and adventurous on holiday, AccomNews asked Mr Pettigrew what the most important considerations are when designing a pool or water park?
He replied: “It’s not only about making it interesting or fun for kids but also to consider the parents. Having areas where parents can set up next to the pool and be comfortable for (sometimes) hours is important in ensuring everyone has a great time.
“Resort or water park pools are designed to be versatile, offering something for everyone, play areas and interactions for the kids as well as the increasingly popular kids free pools in some upmarket hotels and resorts.
Knowing what your guests want is one of the most important things before planning any new facility or renovation.”
Safety is always the top priority when offering water play facilities and pools. He said: “Water quality is probably the most important aspect of maintenance with any aquatic facility, and having the right equipment to handle bather load and meet demand is essential.
When it comes to industry trends he said: “Energy efficiency is a focus for most hotel, resort or facility operators and having efficient equipment upgrades always helps.
“Heating is normally one of the biggest costs associated with the running of any pool and having the most efficient heating can make a big difference to overheads.”
He added: “We supply and install a wide range of energy-efficient heat pumps and variable speed circulation pumps to reduce the overall running cost of any facility, Australia-wide.
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