Holiday parks - recognising the challenges

Tourism is Norfolk’s single most important business sector, supporting more than 54,000 jobs and contributing approaching £2.8 billion to the local economy, says Kim Mann of Lovewell Blake.

Whilst that covers a whole host of different businesses, from hotels to attractions, restaurants to supporting industries, the type of accommodation which makes up the largest portion of the market is holiday parks. 

Many of Norfolk’s holiday park businesses are family concerns, often emerging from family farm businesses.  In many ways, family businesses are great structures to build a business of this type, offering mutual support and the ability to plan for the long term. 

But they also present a unique set of challenges, and it can be during the winter months, when the hectic day-to-day demands of the peak period are on the backburner, that these challenges can come to the fore. 

It is at this time of year that big decisions about things such as investment in new facilities, or the future direction of the business tend to be taken.  And these are the kind of issues which family businesses in particular need to watch.

It is at these ‘transitional’ periods, when decisions about the future are being made, that family businesses can be emotionally challenging.  Different generations can have differing views about the future direction of the business, and how to get there. 

In particular, now is the time that marketing campaigns for next year are being planned, and the need to embrace new channels such as social media and e-commerce can cause inter-generational disagreement.

It is during this off-peak period when even more long-term decisions may need to be taken as well.  Succession planning is always a hot potato for the family firm – not just ensuring that the business is sound for the next generation to take on, but also enabling the retiring generation to take out of the business what they need in a way the business can afford.

Building and running a successful holiday park requires a wide range of business skills, and whether you come at it from an agricultural background (as many do), or with experience of running a tourism business, having the right skills is vital in order to keep up in what is a fast-changing market. 

That might mean taking an honest view at any skills gaps within the family, and if necessary recruiting from outside the family to plug these gaps.

There are over 100 holiday parks in our county, many of them owned and successfully run by Norfolk families.  Ensuring they continue to thrive and prosper means that those families have to be open to change, and cognisant of the specific challenges that running a family firm brings with it.

While holidaymakers are starting to plan their 2015 breaks from the comfort of their tablets and laptops, our county’s holiday park operators should be devoting a similar effort right now to making sure they are in great shape to offer fabulous Norfolk getaways next summer.