Huge demand for Christmas ‘sleigh-cations’ as Haven quadruples park openings for the festive period.
- New figures show British holiday makers want to be beside the seaside all year round: Haven has seen a c.15% increase in bookings for September to November.
- Parks opening at Christmas for the first time this year include Cala Gran, Rockley Park, Kent Coast, and Primrose Valley, in addition to Seashore which will open for the second successive Christmas period.
- Visuals of festive breaks and filming/interview opportunities available
Haven, the UK’s leading holiday park operator, is expanding the number of parks open at Christmas this year after a successful trial last December at the Seashore site in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
For the first time, four additional parks are open for Christmas, including Cala Gran, Rockley Park, Kent Coast, and Primrose Valley, in addition to Seashore which will open for the second successive Christmas period.
Caravans booked for the ‘sleigh-cation’ period come with their own pre-decorated and lit tree and holidaymakers can get a full Christmas Day dinner with all the trimmings at Haven’s on-site restaurants.
Haven Holidays is also opening two of its parks, Primrose Valley, Yorkshire and Seashore, Norfolk, for three-night weekend visits on 22 and 29 November, contributing to a c.15% YoY increase in bookings between September and November, as British holiday makers want to be beside the seaside all year round.
Not every family will want to spend the day on the beach in November, so Haven has designed weekenders around indoor family entertainment. Daytime fun is headlined by kids’ favourite characters such as the Gruffalo while in the evening there's even more singing and dancing fun for the kids, followed by appearances from headline acts and DJs.
Haven expects to have welcomed 3.6 million holidaymakers in 2024, a 13% increase on last year, helped by over a million guest bookings in July and August, another first for the business.
Simon Palethorpe, CEO of Haven, said:
"We are delighted to be able to bring the magic of Christmas to more of our parks across the UK.
“We had a record summer at Haven – but the demand is high all year-round including November and December and even those special days around Christmas Day itself.
“People want to spend time together and have fun, and British holidays are still great value for money compared to going overseas.
“We’re investing to give families a great seaside getaway no matter the time of year."
Acquired by Blackstone in 2021, Haven has invested more than £400 million into its parks to upgrade and modernise all holiday sites. This has included introducing new entertainment activities such as its ‘Adventure Villages’ and nerf gun arenas, as well as expanding its food and drink offering, including introducing the first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub on a holiday park.