Camping My Village
I see the >CampingCarPark< management company are branching out from the automation and management of an Aires network for motorhomes into automating and managing French municipal sites with a view to opening the latter all year round with limited facilities for motorhomes. The chain is to be called "Camping My Village" It seems to be provoking a mixed reaction from the French Camping Carist, some welcoming the move and others fearing it will lead to a loss of parking freedoms with them being forced into using these sites. While the intention is to offer these sites only to motorhomes out of season , all, including, caravans and tents, will be welcome in season as normal. What is not clear is whether they will be fully automated throughout the year requiring the use of the preloaded membership card, “Pass Etapes” for use of payment for the stay. The various land owners are being wooed with the promise of greater income.
Myself, I believe with the growth in the motorhome market, it is the way these smaller sites will have to be run in the future or we may see more closures of Municipals and it could be a good move in the interest of all campers.
Is it good news or bad news?
Is it likely to spread to other countries including the UK?
peedee
Comments
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if municipals stay more profitable and can remain in business, then it must be good, mustn't it.
for us MHers who dont rely on sites being open, its easy to say it doesnt really affect me, but keeping sites in income, without having to extend the actual 'season' seems a good way of making the site useful and profitable into the off season.
we stayed on a site nr Angulême (name escapes me) where an aire (open all year) formed part of the total property, adjacent to the main site (shorter season) and all facilities (bar, restaurant, showers, loos etc) were open to all customers, woth those on the aire just having a smaller (albeit very nice) HS pitch.
I think we paid €8 incl ehu and the 'real campers' paid €13...
i realise there is an issue for over wintering caravanners who need a proper site, but i guess the popular ones on the main routes will remain open as there is a steady flow of custom.
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For caravanners, If it helps to keep more municipal sites open then it's a welcome move. There are some sites just off the autoroute near near us in southern France which would be perfectly suitable for overnighting motorhomes, but they open only a couple of months of the year.................! However, I rather have a feeling that the popular municipal sites, near to autoroutes, may already been in management by others than the local town hall, or sold off and become commercial sites.
I can imagine it may cause more concern amongst motorhome owners if it does lead to any restrictions inparking elsewhere.
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I imagine that if sites are to be open all year which were previously summer only then they will need to do some work on providing all weather pitches. Campsites in France with such pitches are few and far between. I would much prefer to stop at a campsite with an all weather pitch than stay on Aire that is like a carpark with no room between units. Perhaps the French would like that as well?
David
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it has to be about economics, to have for or five MHs parking in an aire, or even a 'parking allowed overnight' carpark costs nothing...the car park is there anyway.
to keep a full blown site open for, say, six extra months (and put in HS) in the hope a few caravans might pass by (and then choose to stop there) is wishful thinking.
i dont know how many aires youve been on David but some are really quite nice and being self governing (services by token etc) keeps cost at rock bottom.
what Peedee is suggesting is that sites with the space, and hard surface, might turn this into a low cost, self managing, 'aire' out of season, as part of the whole.
its a nice thought to be thinking a campsite is going to remain open into december just so that you can park a bit away from the van on the next pitch.
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I guess we will have to wait and see what finally emerges and how they really intend to operate them but there would have to be hardstandings available otherwise I cannot see them being used all year round. The first sites are set to open in Spring 2018.
peedee
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