Leading holiday park operator Tasman Holiday Parks has capped off a $265 million growth spree doubling its portfolio to 40 properties across Australia and New Zealand.

Tasman Holiday Parks wrapped up 20 acquisitions over the last 18 months and expanded its development program which has boosted the value of the group’s portfolio to more than half a billion dollars. The expanded group welcomed more than 650,000 customers across its holiday parks during this period.

The group continues to gain ground, with forward bookings up more than 30% per cent compared with the same time last year, driven by Tasman Holiday Parks’ continued investment in place creation, customer experiences, and growing brand awareness.

The strong momentum follows a record year in 2022, which delivered like for like growth exceeding 25% across Australia and New Zealand.

“The drive market enjoyed a resurgence of popularity during COVID and has continued to remain buoyant in both Australia and New Zealand,” said Tasman Holiday Parks CEO Nikki Milne.

“The underlying fundamentals of drive markets in Australia and New Zealand remain strong, even as international travel continues to rebound. We are uniquely positioned to convert emerging market opportunities, with a focus to provide customers a safe, genuine, and easily accessible holiday experience across all price points.

“The singular vision for our group is to create timeless destinations where families can ‘escape the busyness of life’ by enjoying a great drive and stay holiday.

“As cost-of-living pressures increase, more families are seeking authentic holiday experiences and are taking to the road for a holiday. Tasman Holiday Parks provides a value based alternative to overseas travel in these challenging times.

“It is our investment in park experiences, delivering genuine customer service, and creating places where busy families can escape to freedom that sets our holiday parks apart,” said Ms Milne.

Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA) Chief Executive Officer Stuart Lamont welcomed the investment in the holiday park industry.

In Australia, the holiday park sector has continued to capture the imagination of the Australian consumer throughout recent times of economic and COVID uncertainty.  The growth trend remains strong with CIAA research identifying that more than 80% of consumers are expecting to undertake the same or more travel, and to spend the same or more in 2023 as they did in 2022 across the sector.

“Tasman Holiday Parks’ investment in place creation and focus on customer in the holiday park market bring benefits to a broad range of holiday makers across Australia and it demonstrates their emerging leadership within the industry,” said Mr Lamont.

Ms Milne said the acquisition program has doubled the Tasman Holiday Parks portfolio to 40 in line with the groups three-year strategic plan outlined in 2021.

“The Tasman Holiday Parks strategic plan remains unchanged, and we have demonstrated our ability to execute with agility in a changing market”.

The 40th holiday park, located in Western Australia, is scheduled to settle at the end of March and is among a series of acquisitions that have expanded the group’s portfolio in key tourism markets across Australia and New Zealand.

During the past year Tasman Holiday Parks made a significant push into Victoria with the acquisition of Big 4 Bright, South Bright Holiday Park, Big 4 Bendigo and Big 4 Warrnambool.

Tasman Holiday Parks have strengthened their position in NSW with the addition of Big 4 Ballina, Big 4 Tathra, and Kioloa Holiday Park.

The group has recently expanded its capital structure by a further $250M to underpin future growth.

“We remain disciplined in our deployment of capital with a focus on securing the right strategic opportunities.

“The group’s portfolio is now scaling with a value over half a billion dollars.

“In addition to strategic acquisitions, our growth is underpinned by our investment in place creation with more than $100 million dedicated to major development projects across the portfolio over the next three years,” said Ms Milne.

The scale of acquisitions over the past year has positioned Tasman Holiday Parks as the fastest growing owner, developer, and operator of holiday parks across Australia and New Zealand.

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