And what seems to have won them over is major improvements in the quality of accommodation, food, and the wide range of activities and high standard of entertainment at Haven Holiday Parks.
Over the past few years Haven has invested more than £120 million in its 35 award-winning Holiday Parks adding attractions such as luxury spas, upgrading pool complexes and introducing activities like climbing walls, fencing and archery.
This year alone Haven is investing £40 million in superb new attractions such as giant Flumes and Space Bowls at a number of Holiday Parks.
In addition to the soaring bookings, Haven says families are also booking longer holidays with a big increase in ten-night stays for the peak summer months compared with week-long bookings last summer, a record year.
And many families are also planning to make the best of their holidays by booking higher grade accommodation. Haven says there has been a 20% rise in demand for the company’s top of the range Prestige accommodation of luxury, static caravans.
“It seems many families returned to British resorts last year for a variety of reasons and definitely liked what they experienced,” said a Haven spokesperson. “Now they’re planning to come back again this season and stay for longer and are choosing a higher grade of accommodation.”
Haven was named best domestic operator in the 2009 British Travel Awards and is Britain’s leading family holiday company with 35 award-winning Holiday Parks around the UK.
Last year was a record season for the company with many families shunning holidays abroad because of the high value of the Euro and as a backlash against air travel.
Haven says most of its customers live within two hours of their holiday destination – less than the time it takes to travel to an airport and check in for most flights.
It’s not just holidays in luxury, static caravans that are flourishing. Haven also reports today (Tues) a 22% rise in bookings for touring caravans and camping.
The figures from Haven come just days after research showed British tourism can expect another bumper season all round.
Some 70% of those surveyed in the BDRC poll said they were likely to book a UK holiday in 2010 with 39% saying they intended to have their main holiday in Britain, up 10 percentage points from the same time in 2009.