Haven to invest £170m in expansion of holiday park facilities

Holiday park operator, Haven, has announced plans to invest over £170m in 2023 across multiple parks in the UK, which will include the expansion of new activity and entertainment facilities, as well as an increase in new holiday homes. 

The group’s investment plans come as it saw its December sales increase more than 40% year-on-year, while January 2023 was the company’s best ever performing January for the sales of self-catered Haven holidays and touring spaces. 

The plans will see major entertainment upgrades across a number of parks including Allhallows in Kent, Quay West in South Wales, Thorpe Park and Skegness in Lincolnshire, which will get new facilities such as adventure villages and marina bar and stages, and F&B partnership brands. 

Other parks across the portfolio will see smaller upgrades to existing entertainment facilities and activities at Weymouth Bay, Hopton, Craig Tara, and Devon Cliffs. 

This multi-million-pound investment will enable Haven to cater to an additional three million guests and 25,000 holiday home owners in its parks this year, whilst also improving the offering for new and returning families.

In addition, this investment will also lead to the creation of over 7,000 new seasonal and 500 permanent jobs across its 41 parks for the year. 

Haven, which was acquired by Blackstone in 2021, has already invested almost £230m in parks across 2021 and 2022 in an effort to upgrade and modernise all holiday sites. 

Simon Palethorpe, managing director of Haven, said: “This investment of over £170m builds on the £23m we have spent between 2021 and 2022 to improve our parks and we’re thrilled to be rolling out new entertainment facilities across Haven parks in 2023 as a result. 

“With the continued demand for family staycations, the adventure villages and marina bar and stages are a great addition to our offer, providing even more fun for guests and owners at incredible value.”