Parkdean Resorts has given a significant boost for tourism on the Isle of Wight with the announcement of substantial investment for 4 Island holiday parks ahead of the 2021 season.
The spend of £1.7m to install new caravans and luxury lodges, is part of a £70 million investment in its business nationwide, and the award-winning company is now hiring for seasonal and full-time roles in the region.
Parkdean Resorts operates 4 parks on the Isle of Wight – Landguard and Lower Hyde, both in Shanklin, Nodes Point, near St Helens, and Thorness Bay, near Cowes – which in 2020 welcomed more than 80,000 visitors.
As part of the multi-million-pound investment, there will be two stylish new caravans at Landguard, three high quality caravans at Lower Hyde, one new extra wide caravan at Thorness Bay, and a luxury lodge with a private veranda at Nodes Point. In addition, 59 upgraded caravans are being introduced to replace existing fleet across the island.
Across the Isle of Wight, Parkdean Resorts employs 420 staff in season, and the Parks are currently hiring for a number of seasonal roles across sales, food and beverage, and housekeeping. The company expects to hire 6,500 seasonal staff for summer 2021, and anybody interested in applying for a job should visit Parkdean’s jobs website to view all vacancies.
Parkdean Resorts is the UK’s largest operator of caravan, lodge, cabin, glamping, and camping holiday resorts, and was named Best UK Family Holiday Company, and Best UK Holiday Parks and Lodges Company at the British Travel Awards 2020, the UK’s biggest opinion poll for travel and tourism in the country.
During a challenging 2020 – particularly for areas like the Isle of Wight, whose local economy is heavily reliant on tourism – Parkdean topped all furlough payments up to 100% during lockdowns, donated tens of thousands of pounds worth of provisions to local food banks, and provided free accommodation for more than 100 NHS key workers at 4 holiday parks.
In response to increased demand for staycations last summer, once lockdown lifted, the company hired record numbers of seasonal staff, and will recruit more seasonal workers this year as it prepares to bounce back again for the holiday season.
Steve Richards, Chief Executive of Parkdean Resorts, said:
“Despite the most challenging of years, we’re continuing to invest in our parks, creating an even better experience for holidaymakers and holiday home owners in 2021. With industry-leading COVID-safe standards, we’re looking forward to welcoming people back safely, to enjoy everything our parks, and the surrounding areas, have to offer.
“We know how reliant the local economy is on tourism, and we’re confident that we can help the region recover by welcoming holidaymakers to enjoy a well-deserved staycation on the Isle of Wight.”
Nationwide, the £70m investment for 2021 includes £22.5m spent on introducing more than 700 new caravans and lodges, £13m on maintenance, more than £12m on technology projects, and £12m on three ‘Parks of the Future’ which have received everything from new luxury accommodation options to exciting activities, including high ropes and virtual reality zones, and facility upgrades, such as new swimming pools, pop-up food stands, and outdoor dining spaces.
The investment in these parks takes the total number of ‘Parks of the Future’ nationwide to 7, as Parkdean continues to invest in taking its parks to the next level.
Parkdean Resorts has also further cemented its partnership with the Bear Grylls Survival Academy following a successful launch in 2020.
The agreement sees a new and exciting Shipwrecked themed concept brought to seven parks across the UK. There are four missions available to children aged eight and above, plus a family session where children of all ages can get involved, with all missions delivering great entertainment, theatre and a grasp of Bear Grylls’ key survival skills and priorities.
All this expected ‘staycation’ investment will be over done. For once the continent is open for business, then they will be so desperate for wallets and purses to return their prices will be cut to the bone.
They don’t get the hand outs that the UK does, so will be so competitive that UK hols will suffer badly, as our weather, overcrowding and same old, same old, only has so much attraction, and one poor Summer and most will never come back again.
Fine for two day break, but very expensive for a week or two.
There is certainly some ‘yield management’ (aka price gouging) going on at these sites. Talking to someone a couple of weeks ago, they arranged to transfer a booking from one site to another to be with other family members. They were asked for a cancellation fee for the original booking, and then, the van they had booked, and then changed at £700 was re-advertised at £1500!!