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This summer's motorhome tourists are a high-spending customer group from all over Europe. Many don't want to stay at campsites, but instead want a simple overnight pitch close to attractions, restaurants and shops. For municipalities, tourism should be profitable ... but as soon as caravan sites are organised, there is an outcry.
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Most recently, residents in Öregrund who are upset, according to UNT.se. The motorhomes "take up a lot of space", people "litter" and the motorhomes apparently "compete" with restaurants and hotels. As if motorhome drivers don't like to eat in restaurants sometimes? And as if, if they ban motorhomes, we would take the car to their municipality and check into a hotel? Good answer to the question on UNT Debate.
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Mr Peter Olofsson says:
First of all...well spoken...hm...written! Do not think all municipalities a little "off" understand how important the Motorhome people are, just as you write, we would hardly take the car and hotel in "Knäckebröhult"!
Another thing, I apologise so damn much for being so bad at commenting on this eminent blog, but I don't really have time for "life"! (smiles)
No worries, Little Miss is back on track, but it hasn't been a good time with the caravan, but I do sleep in a few times a week. There is no place I sleep as well as in the alcove!
Hope to see you at some site this summer!
Hugs and greetings from Mr Peter!
31 May 2012 - 7:10
Deciree says:
But that's the worst part of their whining. It was true what he said...nobody complains about the boaters! It would be great to have more parking spaces for motorhomes, so you don't have to crowd a campsite...unless you want to, of course:)
31 May 2012 - 7:14
Maggan and Ingemar says:
So typical that it is the summer guests who complain, but the year-round residents think it is ok.
31 May 2012 - 9:04
Elisabeth says:
Many municipalities will have to rethink their approach if they want to make tourism profitable.
31 May 2012 - 9:14
Lena & Jan says:
Incredibly stupid reasoning by municipalities and businesses. An estimated 6,000 (at least) sites in Germany, 3,000 in France and other countries are very happy for motorhome travellers who spend considerable amounts of money in the vicinity of their sites.
31 May 2012 - 10:19
Aunt Marit says:
They miss the point when they think that you would stay in a hotel if they just ban/make it difficult for the motorhomes, because if I have understood it all correctly, that is exactly what you do NOT want, I guess the majority of you know that you can stay in a hotel, but you have chosen NOT to!
Why you should not be able to eat out when you live in a motorhome, I do not understand, you as well as "the rest of us" probably think it is nice to avoid cooking a little now and then, I would like to think, and I do not think people litter if only garbage cans are put out that they also empty regularly / often.
Imagine how difficult it is to see opportunities and how easy it is to see problems, strange that...!
31 May 2012 - 13:42
Emmy says:
In Australia, it's seen as a problem that so many backpackers travel around with campervans and set them up in car parks instead of paying camping fees. But if you have everything in your campervan and just want to have dinner out somewhere and then sleep, it can hardly be an inconvenience to anyone else? People have so much to complain about, it's boring!
31 May 2012 - 15:00
Anders and Birgitta says:
Yes, it will take another 10 years before people wake up in Sweden, we will have to go abroad until then. They have not realised what money they can make from us compared to the boaters who come for such a limited time. Just remember to point out that this year the first motorhome arrived "already in February"!!!!!
31 May 2012 - 15:31
admin says:
Peter Olofsson, no more hotel accommodation in Knäckebröhult... and nice to hear that the alcove is comfortable! Who knows when we'll run into each other... (though of course it might require that you don't sleep in the campervan on your own driveway if we do... ;)).
Deciree, the same conditions as for boaters are fine. And then you usually pay a fee, also perfectly fine!
Maggan and Ingemar, yes it's true that that's how it was! I wonder why they are the ones complaining... And the mess at midsummer... can you really blame it on motorhomes???
Elisabeth, if you can afford to buy a motorhome, you can probably afford to eat in a restaurant once in a while... they need to think outside the box!
Lena & Jan, sometimes I think it's just a matter of habit... like motorhomes "should" be on a campsite because that's how you think it should be. But as you say, in other countries there are lots of pitches...
Aunt Marit, exactly! We would never think of travelling around to small towns in Sweden and staying in hotels, just for fun. But the motorhome has made us visit all these places! And of course, that means we shop in their stores and eat in their restaurants sometimes!
Emmy, really? Yes, people like to complain... But if the municipalities organise real camping sites, we're happy to pay a fee to stand there. It's just that we don't always want to stand on a campsite 2 kilometres from shops and restaurants. (Sometimes we do that too, to experience nature, but the whole point of the motorhome is to be able to vary this!)
Anders and Birgitta, yes it will probably take a while... Exactly, the small towns in Sweden complain about depopulation and struggle to get both population and tourists. And when the tourists come (already in February even) then it's not good!!!
31 May 2012 - 16:39
Matts Torebring says:
If I didn't have a job that takes up all my time, I would build a car park in Aneby municipality next to Stalpets Vattenfall where there are nice grass areas. I said this to the leaders of the municipality at a meeting and got the answer..."A car park, what is that?"?
31 May 2012 - 20:40
FANTASY DINING-A blog about themed restaurants and travel says:
Hmm... really like that!!! CONSTANT! It's a bit like at my job at Stena Line you take for granted that Danes always have a packed lunch ... which many do have but far from all as well !!!!
31 May 2012 - 20:49
admin says:
Matts, it sounds like you have to take it one step at a time... teaching them the word is the first step, right?
😉
Fantasy dining, of course you eat in the motorhome sometimes, but if you are close to the city it is easy to have either lunch or dinner outside. Or you shop for food ... or have an ice cream ... or shop ... or ... pay admission somewhere ... At least you don't sit INSIDE the motorhome all the time. So why would you go anywhere?
31 May 2012 - 21:11
Seniors Speculate says:
This eternal nagging, when will politicians and other decision makers in Swedish municipalities realise what motorhome tourism means. Our latest post on our blog is about a municipal caravan park that is 20 years old and what it means for a small town. A good example that should be studied by Swedish municipal politicians and tourism managers.
Incidentally, we think we recognise the parking space in Mönsterås harbour in the picture. Mönsterås municipality has listened and acted, but there is much more that can be done for motorhome tourists elsewhere in the municipality.
3M
31 May 2012 - 22:19
admin says:
Seniors Speculate, it is incomprehensible if the municipalities are not interested in tourism! And that's Mönsterås in the picture!
01 June 2012 - 6:41
Anki says:
Good article...
I have sent emails to our municipality (Norrköping) to try to get them to arrange a better location than the one in a dusty car park. Now it is still better than none at all, but it would not attract me if I came as a tourist...?
Let's see if I get an answer...
01 June 2012 - 7:09
admin says:
Anki, great initiative! If everyone points out and suggests from time to time, they might eventually realise the point...
02 June 2012 - 8:37