Credit crunch boost for local tourism
DEESIDE and Donside caravan parks look set to enjoy a bumper summer with people choosing to holiday closer to home.
Volcanic ash clouds and British Airways strikes, alongside the continuing economic doom and gloom, have made exploring the sights of Deeside and Donside a top alternative holiday destination.
Banchory's Silverbank is just one of many caravan parks to experience a boom in tourist numbers, with warden Kerry Crowe convinced there are more people holidaying in the region than in previous years.
"It's been very, very busy since May and we're just getting into peak season now," she said. "I can't believe it that on a Monday and Tuesday night, which are typically very quiet, we've had to turn folk away. It's incredible but we've been completely fully booked.
"I know for a fact there are some couples who lost a lot of money when their flights were cancelled during the ash clouds, and they don't want to take that risk again."
In Braemar, the Invercauld Caravan Park has been similarly swamped with visitors. Warden Norma Stevenson explained there has been an increase in the number of Brits staying at home for their holidays.
She said: "The last few weekends we've been bursting at the seams and look set to have another bumper summer. People are choosing caravan parks because we've had good weather. They aren't prepared to waste money going abroad and face cancellations and delays when they've got a guaranteed caravan and holiday here."
It is the start of caravan parks' busiest season with schools finishing for the holidays last week.
Tricia Anderson, warden at the Aboyne Loch Caravan Park, has also noticed a surge in visitors and expects this to continue. "The last few weeks have been choc-a-bloc," she said. "Everyone's watching their pennies and going for a cheap weekend away is the solution."
In Alford, it is warden Ron Blackwell of Haughton Caravan Park's first summer. He said: "Going by what I've heard, the next few weeks will be near enough sold out. I know that in June, camping was busier than in other years. It's mostly British people, but we've also had a lot of folk from Germany, Belgium and elsewehere in Europe who enjoy the scenery."
While holidaymakers seem to be descending on the caravan parks, tourist attractions such as the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford, may also expect a welcome boost.
Curator Mike Ward said domestic tourism increased last year, due to VisitScotland's targeted marketing campaign in the north of England. He continued: "We hope for an increase during the traditional holiday season, the main reason for optimism being the reduced value of the pound abroad."
Tourists were lured to Scotland in 2009 for the Homecoming celebrations, giving the country and its attractions a unique competitive advantage.
VisitScotland's regional director for Grampian, Ken Massie, says he is expecting last minute bookings and staycations to have a positive impact on Deeside and Donside's economy.
"My key phrase would be cautious optimism," he said. "People are booking rooms more closely to when they are travelling, they don't want to commit because of the economic uncertainty.
"A lot of conditions will have an impact this year, the exchange rate, flight disruptions, the Icelandic ash cloud, as well as the continued global economic uncertainty.
"What perhaps could happen is that instead of familiess taking a two week holiday abroad, they will take multiple short breaks, but this will emerge over the course of the year. Then, there's this change we are seeing to the traditional family holiday. Grandparents may take the children away during the school holidays, as the parents might not be able to afford to take time off work."
Figures from 2009 indicated that the trend for holidaying in the UK is evident, with rises in the numbers of people staying in self-catering facilities and guest houses.
It may be too early to tell whether tourism in Deeside and Donside as a whole, will have a successful year, but visitors John and Margaret Petrie from Falkirk, would agree that vacationing in Scotland is a reliable alternative.
Margaret said: "When the weather's as nice as this, there's no need to go abroad, we've just seen the Falls of Feugh for the first time in forty years and they were beautiful. I can see a lot of people staying at home this year."
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Weather for Banchory
Monday 21 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 7 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
