7 / 16
S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 7
07
In recent news the travel guide Lonely Planet
named North Wales fourth in a list of best
regions to visit in 2017. The news gives
global recognition to North Wales being the
top of the hit list for must visit destinations
in the UK.
The news acknowledges the changing
landscape of North Wales as a tourism
destination. The most noticeable and recent
change has been the rapid growth of man-
made attractions such as Surf Snowdonia,
Zip-World, Bounce Below and the various
world class mountain biking facilities.
These new developments appeal
to the emerging health and fitness
tourism market and attract a wider
range of visitors, diversifying from
the traditional bucket and spade
or walking visitors the region is
accustomed to.
The market for leisure property in North
Wales has been rated amongst the best
in the UK with property prices achieving
stronger levels than many other tourist
destinations. The strength of the North
Wales market has been fuelled by the
populous conurbations located within 2
hours drive such as Manchester, Liverpool,
Stoke-on-Trent and Chester.
Honey pot locations such as Abersoch, the
North Wales Coast and areas of Anglesey
are witnessing improving standards of holiday
accommodation. Premium holiday caravan
products in these areas are regularly being
purchased for second homes at premium
prices, most notably being perhaps The
Warren at Abersoch where £500,000 plus has
been achieved for a twin unit holiday caravan.
It is difficult to quantify the effect this is having
on the tourist economy as on paper not
much has changed. The Welsh Government
Wales Tourism Accommodation Occupancy
Survey shows only a slight improvement on
the previous year.
However the published tourism statistics
only refer to letting accommodation to
include self-catering, hotels, B&Bs and
guest houses. The changes are mainly
occurring in the privately owned sector
which accounts for the majority of holiday
accommodation in North Wales. UK holiday
caravan manufacturers are reporting
significant increases in the number of units
being made to satisfy demand.
Reports from holiday park owners are of
significant improvements on previous years.
This recent prosperity has led to a
lack of holiday parks coming to the
market with park owners opting to
hold on to their properties and take
advantage of the current trading
conditions.
We have seen demand for holiday parks
grow to a level comparable to that of the
peak experienced in 2007/08 with strong
prices achieved across the region.
F O C U S O N
N O R T H WA L E S
T H E C H A N G I N G L A N D S C A P E O F N O R T H WA L E S T O U R I S M
Brynteg Holiday Park, Caernarfon
Sold with a Guide Price of £15m
Caerwys View Holiday Park, Caerwys
Sold with a Guide Price of £1.95m
Trawsfynyd Holiday Village, Bronabber
For Sale with a Guide Price of £3.49m