Popular caravan industry website Caravanselecta thinks that caravan buying popularity is set to increase again this year. They recently confirmed that last year was a considered a bumper year for people buying a motorhome or caravan and that 2010 looks to be even better.

The website, which allows both dealers and private individuals to buy and sell touring caravans, motorhomes and static caravans, has seen a huge increase in activity over the past year, from details of 15,000 caravans and motorhomes being posted in 2008, to nearly 67,000 in 2009.

Amy Buckley, Product Manager for Caravanselecta, said: “It’s very likely that this dramatic rise is partly due to the economic situation, with people realising that by investing in the initial cost of a caravan or motorhome means they can save money for years to come on their holidays.”

“There was a growth last year also in people choosing to holiday in the UK, which makes a caravan or motorhome a really sensible option, especially as we have thousands of great campsites to stay on.”

And it seems that Caravanselecta believes this increase in interest in owning a touring caravan or motorhome is set to continue in 2010 as well, with a big increase in the number of adverts placed at the end of 2009 continuing in the first few weeks of 2010.

The benefit of websites such as Caravanselecta is that people can very easily find the caravan or motorhome they want by browsing for the right type of vehicle to suit individual requirements or budget and with new adverts being added all the time there is a great choice of vehicles to consider.

The Caravan Club has also recently confirmed the popularity of caravans continues when it announced that it had to add extra places to its training courses due to the increased demand it has experienced. They also highlighted the fact that in 2009 spending from their members added over £400 million into the economies of rural areas.

The Sprite range for 2010 gains a baby brother this year with the long anticipated launch of the Sprite Finesse 2.

Official viewings of this lightweight small 2 berth will be at the Boat and Caravan Show this month at the NEC with the very first demonstrator in the country arriving with Tilshead Caravans shortly after.

The Sprite Finesse 2 is a 2-berth end kitchen, lightweight model with an MRO of 897kg and MTPLM of 1073kg, giving a good payload whilst allowing it to be towed by such cars as the Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus.

The internal body length is 3.66m (12ft) and allows for the classic layout of parallel front seating and chest of drawers. The seating is long enough to provide two singles or one double bed.

Nick Page, Commercial Director for Swift Group commented ‘Aimed at young couples looking for their first caravan and older people wanting a light caravan to tow with a smaller car, the Sprite Finesse 2 is the ideal solution’.

Should you wish to discuss this model in more detail then please come and see both us and the caravan at the NEC show. We are pleased to confirm that Swift have invited Tilshead Caravans to have two representatives attending the Swift Group stand, Owen on the Sprite stand and James on the Swift stand.

If you cannot make it to the NEC, Tilshead Caravans are expecting to be the first dealer to display the model, initially at our site and also at the British Leisure Show over 19 - 21 March at Windsor Racecourse.

With the new year in full swing Tilshead Caravans have already started filling their show diaries.

The Boat and Caravan Show will be held at the NEC in Birmingham over 23 - 28 February 2010 and will showcase the latest caravans and motorhomes along with accessories, holiday homes and more. Tilshead Caravans have been invited to demonstrate Swift Group caravans on the Swift and Sprite stands over the past few years and will be doing so again this year. If you are going to the Show, whether to see what’s new or to choose your perfect caravan, why not come and meet us? Just ask for ‘James or Owen from Tilshead Caravans’!

For the first time ever, the British Leisure Show is to be held at the Royal Windsor Race Course over 19 – 21 March and will be showcasing everything to do with leisure, from caravans, motorhomes and boats to outdoor activities. With over 300 exhibitors to choose from Tilshead Caravans decided this was not a show to be missed. We will be displaying new caravans from the Swift and Sprite range so for some of the best caravans around why not come along to see us? We are hoping to display at least two brand new models from the Swift Group, available to view for the first time outside the NEC, so come and see what they look like in the daylight!

The Broadlands estate in Romsey will be home once again to the Caravan and Motorhome Show taking place on the 9 – 11 April and after a successful show in 2009, Tilshead Caravans are pleased to be supporting the event again by demonstrating both new caravans and used motorhomes. Remember that our site at Lopcombe, near Salisbury, is only 12 miles from the event so even if the vehicle you are looking for is not at the show, we may still be able to assist you with your ideal caravan or motorhome for purchase or hire.

The Southern Motorhome Show at Newbury is a new event for Tilshead Caravans but we aim to be there to see you over the 21 – 23 May. With an established reputation, easy access and easy to browse outdoor exhibition area, this show guarantees a wide selection of motorhomes for sale along with most accessories and motorhome services you can think of.

With plenty of opportunities to visit Tilshead Caravans at outdoor events in 2010 we hope to welcome you with knowledgeable staff to help you make a right decision when it comes to buying or hiring a caravan or motorhome. However, don’t forget you are always welcome to visit us at our site on the Stockbridge Road (A30) at Lopcombe, on the Hampshire & Wiltshire border! We are open seven days a week all year round.

Following the drawing of the lucky entry in our Open Weekend prize draw, we are pleased to confirm that the winner was Mr B. from the Eastleigh area. He visited us to look at new and used caravans and now has his winning prize of a £150 voucher to spend with us if he finds a caravan to suit him! Congratulations to him and thank you to all our visitors who entered.

The International Caravan & Motorhome Show is currently in full swing at the NEC in Birmingham and Tilshead Caravans have again been invited by the Swift Group to demonstrate and sell their caravans at the show.

If you are looking to visit the show, please do say hello to James and Owen on the Swift and Sprite caravan stands and if you are considering purchasing a caravan at the show and are local to us here at Lopcombe on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border, please bear us in mind to assist you. Just ask at the reception desk on the Swift Group caravan stand if you can’t see us!

Tilshead Caravans held a successful Open Weekend over 10 – 11 October, at which visitors were able to view a selection of the 2010 Swift Caravan ranges alongside a wide range of used caravans and used motorhomes for sale.

As usual, in accordance with our belief that our special events should backed up by genuine offers, all used caravans were discounted by up to £795 for the weekend, there were offers on all PowrTouch movers, accessories as diverse as cleaning products, televisions and caravan covers, with nearly new motorhomes for sale offered with special free packages including Fiamma awnings, Sigma alarm systems and half price Fiamma cycle racks.

Bearing in mind the event was held slightly later in the year than usual, due to limited availability on both new and used caravans during September, Saturday dawned bright and sunny and the warm weather continued throughout the day, whilst visitors on Sunday were greeted with rather more damp conditions which sent us all scurrying for cover at times! Nevertheless, the free hog-roast and bouncy castle were well received and with free refreshments all day, visitors were able to relax and wander the site at their own pace.

We are pleased to report that both caravan and motorhome sales were strong, with the nearly new Abbey & Swift Group caravans featuring fixed beds particularly popular with buyers. New caravan sales levels were encouraging, especially when many potential buyers had already made plans to visit the International Caravan and Motorhome Show at the NEC immediately after the weekend. The 2010 Swift Caravans range was generally very well received and the newly revamped 2010 Sprite Caravans models were especially popular with families, although the eagerly anticipated Sprite Musketeer TD layout will not be available to view until later in the year.

The draw for the £150 voucher to be spent with us is due to be made by Harry (age 4) & Molly (age 2), as Tilshead Caravans is of course a family business, on Friday 16 October and we shall post (brief) details of the winner here and let you know how he or she decided to spend the money in due course……………….

Finally, all the team at Tilshead Caravans would like to thank all those who visited us for helping to make the weekend such fun and we sincerely hope it was a worthwhile visit for all. We look forward to seeing many of you again in the future.

Tilshead Caravans have a busy September and October with a number of events planned.

Over the 11 - 13 September is the Motorhome and US RV Show at the Royal Bath & West Showground in Shepton Mallet, where we shall be displaying a selection of used motorhomes, including some nearly new models which we have owned since new and made available to our motorhome hire clients. With full history and offering great savings on a new example we expect these motorhomes to be in demand, especially as numbers are limited.

Our autumn Open Weekend is over 10 & 11 October this year, where we will look to offer our usual free hog roast, demonstrations, bouncy castle, and so on. We hope to have a full range of new 2010 Sprite Caravans to show, including a first look at the new Sprite Musketeer TD layout, along with a selection of the 2010 Swift Caravan models. We will also have a good selection of 2007, 2008 and 2009 used caravans from the Abbey Vogue, Swift Charisma and Sprite ranges from our hire fleet. These offer excellent value for money and with the planned nearly-new awning offers on Ventura and NR Awnings should appeal to many.

The International Caravan and Motorhome Show will be held at the NEC in Birmingham over 13 - 18 October 2009 and will showcase the latest caravans and motorhomes along with accessories, holiday homes and more. Tilshead Caravans have been invited to demonstrate the Swift Group products on the Swift and Sprite stands over the past few years and anticipate doing so again this year. If you are going to the Show to see what’s new, why not come and meet us?

There has been much discussion in the press about how popular caravanning has become this year and this has affected stocks of used and new caravans on dealer forecourts for the past six months, with average stock levels noticeably lower than usual. This trend seems set to continue during the important September/October period as manufacturers such as the Swift Group unveil their new 2010 models and clients who have waited to inspect the latest models grab the opportunity to upgrade or change their caravans before the 2.5% VAT increase planned for December. As one client commented today, why pay the taxman any more than you need to! Tilshead Caravans have seen this in action, as we received our first new 2010 Sprite caravan on a Friday afternoon, only to sell it to an existing client within 24 hours. Next availability for this particular model is four months time and that build batch is also selling fast………

Although launched at the NEC exhibition in February, the Swift Charisma 550 could not be built immediately and so has not been available to view until now. Tilshead Caravans are therefore pleased to confirm that our demonstrator model is now on display.

The Charisma 550 is the latest new model to be launched by the Swift Group in 2009 and builds on the undoubted popularity of the Swift Challenger 570. Both models offer a similar fixed bed and end washroom layout in a single axle caravan.

The Swift Charisma 550 is 10 inches shorter than the Challenger 570 model and is also 100kg lighter and over £1,600 cheaper. So how does the new model look in real life?

The front lounge offers unexpected space with the parallel seating separated by a chest of drawers. The 7’6” width of the caravan gives a double bed size of up to 7’0” x 5’3” or two single beds for the younger (or shorter) members of the family. The location of the angled heater unit and worktop next to the door are well designed to give a feeling of space.

The central kitchen and galley area retains the usual quality fittings seen elsewhere in the Charisma range, with microwave fitted in the eyelevel cabinets over the hob. There is a worktop area next to the door which is smaller than in, say, the Charisma 540, but is more useable for those of us who normally put a television here, as the Charisma 550 has an ingenious drop-down TV storage cupboard and rotating bracket, meaning you can use the worktop for other purposes! 

The rear fixed bed offers usual Swift refinements such as the elevating bed base with sprung beech slats and excellent storage under. This is easily accessible from the outside courtesy of the side access hatch. At 6’2” in length and 4’6” in width with a quality mattress, this is not that different from the mattress you may have on your double bed at home. Using a little lateral thinking, Swift have also located the table storage area under the bed, to free up space in the caravan - one of the reasons this model is shorter and lighter than the Challenger model. Opposite the bed is the wardrobe and shelving storage, plus a sizeable mirror, next to a mains 230V socket for those wishing to use a hairdryer. It even has two coathooks for those dressing gowns!

Behind the fixed bed is a true en-suite washroom, with a lovely rectangular shower and space to get changed without falling over the new Thetford C250 style toilet. Usual Swift features such as 32mm thick washroom door with domestic style handle and operation plus finishing touches such as the well located mirror add the extra touch of class and emphasise the quality seen throughout the caravan.

When we reflect on the fact that last year you would have needed to purchase a twin axle caravan to get a spacious lounge, fixed bed and end washroom, the fact that Swift have managed to engineer the same features into a caravan with an MTPLM of less than 1500kg, an overall length of 7.30m and a retail price of well under £14,000 is, quite frankly, impressive.

It’s official! The National Caravan Council (NCC) recently reported an increase in bookings to caravan parks, rising sales of new and pre-owned touring caravans and a healthy contribution to the UK economy from caravanning.

After a difficult end to 2008, manufacturers such as the Swift Group have seen unexpectedly buoyant sales of new caravans and dealers, including Tilshead Caravans, report that sales of used caravans have been running well ahead of expectation.

Campsites and caravan holiday home parks have seen a substantial increase in bookings and occupancy rates. There is increasing evidence that those who own caravans are using them more and there has also been an influx of new people to caravanning. This has led to the NCC reporting that some parks have seen increases of 25 percent and more in reservations.

The NCC’s Director General, John Lally commented “This is good news for the many local businesses – from shops, pubs and attractions to post offices and petrol stations – that rely on the tourist pound that a caravanner brings”. As for the next few months, for the caravan industry itself he comments “A hot summer, which the Met Office is now predicting, would be the icing on the cake for our industry.”

Caravanning is reported as being worth approximately £6 billion to the UK economy, and supports thousands of jobs in tourism as well as UK manufacturing and support services. Did you know that more than 95 per cent of touring caravans on UK roads are manufactured in the UK?