As the pandemic threatens overseas holidays, motorhome dealers are facing huge demand.
Alistair Norman, of Revolution Campervans in Northamptonshire, dealt with 20 enquiries a week before the pandemic – now it’s 500 a day.
He said: ‘Demand has gone up exponentially.’ Karl Pearce, of KTG Caravans and Campers in Staffordshire, said buyers were waiting up to six months, adding: ‘It’s crazy. Prices have shot up.’
The Caravan and Motorhome Club said a record number of members joined last month.
The National Caravan Council says there are 225,000 motorhomes in Britain – and sales have tripled since 2000.
Golf clubs are also cashing in on the post-lockdown rush by increasing fees by up to 70 per cent. Many are already fully booked for the next two weeks.
Experts are expecting the high turnout to continue throughout the summer.
Business Matters has found dozens of clubs that have dramatically increased playing fees and membership costs.
One club manager said some had ‘been keen to make hay while the sun shines’.
A weekend round after 3pm at Surrey National for example went from £35 to £60 – a 71 per cent rise. Its parent company said it was a case of ‘supply and demand’.
Players at Westerham Golf Club, Kent, will have to pay over a third more for a similar weekend round after prices rose from £50 to £68.
A company spokesman said: ‘We’ve lost a hell of a lot of money over the past 12 months and there’s enough people to pay those prices.’
Golf’s popularity last summer when restrictions were eased saw nearly two thirds more rounds played between July and September compared with 2019.
