Guernsey Donkey
Guest
Hi to all who have visited the Western Isles this year, I am doing a survey on likes, dislikes, praises and moans etc on the Western Isles to present to the local council and local MP. It seems from the people I have spoken to (Campervaners) that you all spend a lot of money when you visit, somewhere between £1,500 and £3,500 in two weeks - WOW. if you have the time just to put finger/s to keyboard for a few moments I would realy appreciate it if you could send any comments or thoughts to me either by PM or on site.
Mant thanks.
The following is taken from a local Stornoway paper.
What are you thoughts
Tourists flock to islands in midst of recession
THE WESTERN Isles are teeming with tourists this summer with reports of fully booked accommodation and a record number of visitors touring with their own camper vans.
The influx of visitors is largely thought to be a result of the ferry fares reductions, but could also be the knock-on effect of the recession - which has meant many people are holidaying in the UK and overseas tourists are taking advantage of the we
ADVERTISEMENTak pound.
The volume of visitors choosing to tour the isles with a camper van is thought to be due, not only to the ferry prices, but to the majority of other accommodation being fully booked.
Local camp site owner Gordon Macleod of Laxdale Holiday Park, Lewis said they have seen as much as a 40% increase on visitors numbers from last year.
Commenting this week, he said: "We have noticed a marked rise in the number of campers and camper vans visiting Laxdale Holiday Park. I would say there is about a 40% increase in numbers from last year and we are getting a lot more advance bookings."
He added that the pattern of holidays had also completely changed this year.
"It has affected the whole nature of our tourist season, we were as busy at the end of May as we normally are in the middle of July."
Statistics across the UK have shown a rise in the number of camping and caravaning holidays and in the Highlands and Islands this has already been noted by VisitScotland.
A spokesperson for the tourist authority said this week that their early figures certainly suggested an increase in this type of holiday and that businesses across the Highlands and Islands had observed increases in both UK and European visitors.
Caledonian MacBrayne confirmed this week that they had seen higher volumes of all traffic, but particularly camper vans, on their ferries.
Said a spokesperson: "We can certainly confirm that we are aware of more travelling than usual. We would imagine this is for the same combination of factors which is impacting on traffic volumes - lower fares, the strong Euro, the trend for 'staycations' in the current economic climate and the generally good weather so far."
With some negative comments in the press last week stating that the arrival of extra camper vans was not benefiting the local economy, Harris Councillor Catherine Macdonald, who owns a campsite in Drinishader, hit back and said this was just not the case.
She said: "As a campsite owner I know for a fact that these campers eat frequently in our restaurants and are very appreciative of being able to dine in them. They are, after all, on holiday and want a change from what they would be doing at home. They are also very keen to get local produce such as fish or shellfish when they do cook."
Nevertheless local MP Angus Macneil says he has also been approached by constituents concerned about the lack of facilities for such visitors.
He has now written to the Managing Director of Calmac to ask for statistics on the number of such vehicles travelling on the ferries since the implementation of RET.
He stated: "At the moment these vehicles enjoy a reduction, with those between 5-8 metres enjoying the same price as a car, which under RET is a large saving. Therefore from this point we have a few options: Doing nothing and allowing the reductions to continue, removing the lower pricing for part of the summer for 5-8m camper vans, or removing the reduction complete and treating all vehicles over 5m the same. My letter to Mr Preston is to open discussion on the issue and I would also welcome more views from constituents on this issue."
Whatever the reasons for the increase, the islands are certainly busy and Lewis is looking forward to another jam packed weekend on August 7 and 8 with the Homcoming event, Tattoo Hebrides
Mant thanks.
The following is taken from a local Stornoway paper.
What are you thoughts
Tourists flock to islands in midst of recession
THE WESTERN Isles are teeming with tourists this summer with reports of fully booked accommodation and a record number of visitors touring with their own camper vans.
The influx of visitors is largely thought to be a result of the ferry fares reductions, but could also be the knock-on effect of the recession - which has meant many people are holidaying in the UK and overseas tourists are taking advantage of the we
ADVERTISEMENTak pound.
The volume of visitors choosing to tour the isles with a camper van is thought to be due, not only to the ferry prices, but to the majority of other accommodation being fully booked.
Local camp site owner Gordon Macleod of Laxdale Holiday Park, Lewis said they have seen as much as a 40% increase on visitors numbers from last year.
Commenting this week, he said: "We have noticed a marked rise in the number of campers and camper vans visiting Laxdale Holiday Park. I would say there is about a 40% increase in numbers from last year and we are getting a lot more advance bookings."
He added that the pattern of holidays had also completely changed this year.
"It has affected the whole nature of our tourist season, we were as busy at the end of May as we normally are in the middle of July."
Statistics across the UK have shown a rise in the number of camping and caravaning holidays and in the Highlands and Islands this has already been noted by VisitScotland.
A spokesperson for the tourist authority said this week that their early figures certainly suggested an increase in this type of holiday and that businesses across the Highlands and Islands had observed increases in both UK and European visitors.
Caledonian MacBrayne confirmed this week that they had seen higher volumes of all traffic, but particularly camper vans, on their ferries.
Said a spokesperson: "We can certainly confirm that we are aware of more travelling than usual. We would imagine this is for the same combination of factors which is impacting on traffic volumes - lower fares, the strong Euro, the trend for 'staycations' in the current economic climate and the generally good weather so far."
With some negative comments in the press last week stating that the arrival of extra camper vans was not benefiting the local economy, Harris Councillor Catherine Macdonald, who owns a campsite in Drinishader, hit back and said this was just not the case.
She said: "As a campsite owner I know for a fact that these campers eat frequently in our restaurants and are very appreciative of being able to dine in them. They are, after all, on holiday and want a change from what they would be doing at home. They are also very keen to get local produce such as fish or shellfish when they do cook."
Nevertheless local MP Angus Macneil says he has also been approached by constituents concerned about the lack of facilities for such visitors.
He has now written to the Managing Director of Calmac to ask for statistics on the number of such vehicles travelling on the ferries since the implementation of RET.
He stated: "At the moment these vehicles enjoy a reduction, with those between 5-8 metres enjoying the same price as a car, which under RET is a large saving. Therefore from this point we have a few options: Doing nothing and allowing the reductions to continue, removing the lower pricing for part of the summer for 5-8m camper vans, or removing the reduction complete and treating all vehicles over 5m the same. My letter to Mr Preston is to open discussion on the issue and I would also welcome more views from constituents on this issue."
Whatever the reasons for the increase, the islands are certainly busy and Lewis is looking forward to another jam packed weekend on August 7 and 8 with the Homcoming event, Tattoo Hebrides
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