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Stand Up For Seaton (SU4S)

Community Action for Seaton's Regeneration Area, 80% owned by Tesco - a floodplain on a World Heritage site bordered by nature reserves, tidal river, the sea and the unspoilt town. SU4S is a state of mind - no members, no structure, no politics. SU4S has objected to 2 planning applications by Tesco, including one for a massive superstore/dot com distribution centre which led to the recent closure on the site of 400 tourist beds with the loss of 150 jobs,a gym and pool - all used by locals.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Cost of a holiday at Hollybush Hotels holiday villages

I haven't been to the Hollybush holiday village at Weston super Mare (Sand Bay) but it looks on the web very similar to Hollybush Lyme Bay, although I have heard several tourists say that they prefer Lyme Bay. Here from the Hollybush internet site today are prices charged for both sites:

4 nights full board - Christmas
Sand Bay £335
Lyme Bay (reduction from £335 shown as original price) - now£269
difference: Lyme Bay £66 less

2 nights New Year half board
Sand Bay £209
Lyme Bay (reduction from £209 shown as original price)- now £169
difference Lyme Bay £40 less

So, they seem to start off at the same prices which would indicate that they are similar, but Lyme Bay gets reductions which do not apply to Sand Bay.

And, as for the grey pound being a falling market, the site (i.e. all its hotels and holiday villages) says this on its internet front page:

"Hollybush has developed an excellent reputation in recent years for offering-high quality, value-for-money short breaks, specifically tailored to suit the over 40s market. Great emphasis is placed on facilities and amenities to ensure they are attractive to guests who no longer wish their holiday experience to be dominated by children."

Compare this with Mr Harrison's letter to Terry Dinham:
"Lyme Bay Holiday Village continues to rely very heavily on an ageing and declining market. The majority of the guests are the over-55 age group and the retired with very limited budgets. It is the latter groups of customers in particular that has come under intense financial pressure due in part to pensions not pace with inflation and discretionary spending reducing as a consequence".

Now, if the last paragraph is correct, then the Hollybush Sand Bay site should also be threatened with closure. HOWEVER, there is another interpretation of this: let's say that pensioners ARE feeling the squeeze. Then those pensioners currently going abroad or taking Med cruises will be equally feeling the pinch and will need to downshift their holidays to suit their new circumstances. Where better then than the holiday villages that are now too expensive for the poor pensioners but now within the reach of better-off pensioners also feeling the pinch.

And Hollybush seems to be the only company that thinks there is a reduction in the "grey pound" market. For example, the BBC News website says: "In 2000 there were about 132 million over-50s in western Europe. By 2025 there are expected to be 177 million. In the UK, there were almost 20 million over-50s in 2000. By 2025 there are expected to be nearly 27 million."

Are all these pensioners going to be so well off they won't want cheaper holidays?

1 Comments:

At 6:35 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Quote from Tourism trends in devon 2005 taken from the Devon County Council website

"1.4.12 Increased business was also widely reported for all accommodation categories from
middle-aged couples and visitors of retirement age."

So exactly the market Lyme Bay serves........

 

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