During a fairly miserable 2020, one of the few good business stories was the boom in ‘staycation’ tourism, as more people chose to holiday in the UK due to the virus travel restrictions. So, what will things be like in 2021?

Well, Tony Bywater, chairman of Shrewsbury-based company Salop Leisure, believes the demand for ‘staycationing’ will be greater than ever in 2021, with British people reluctant to jet off to sunnier climes.

In addition to running its caravan and motorhome dealerships, Salop Leisure also owns the Love2Stay resort and adventure centre and Love Plants specialist plants centre in Shrewsbury, as well as caravan holiday home and touring parks across Mid Wales.

Having devoted more than 50 years of his life to the caravan and motorhome industry, Mr Bywater has experienced many economic highs and lows and is well placed to offer an opinion on future business prospects. He explained: ‘It has been an extremely difficult time for everybody, but I think 2021 is going to be very special for our industry and tourism in the UK. People are going to want to stay in the UK, rather than travelling abroad. The pandemic will change people’s habits forever.

“Demand for caravan holiday homes, touring caravans and motorhomes is going to be massive, putting pressure on manufacturers and parks. We lost a lot of trade whilst our businesses were forced to close during the lockdowns, but, when we reopened in late summer, customer demand was huge.’