EFCO&HPA – your Federation working for you at the European level.
Owners and managers of campsites and holiday parks may perhaps wonder what EFCO&HPA is all about and what it does do for them.
Firstly, campsite and park owners and managers who are members of their national trade association (like FNHPA in France, Recron in the Netherlands, BH&HPA in the UK) are automatically represented through their national membership of EFCO&HPA. This means their national subscription to these associations ensures their business interests are represented at the European level where important decisions are taken. Most national associations do not have the resources to achieve this alone and the industry is stronger when working together.
EFCO&HPA brings together the national trade associations of the camping and caravanning parks sector in 22 European countries, including 18 EU member states and four non-EU countries. All the associations of holiday-park operators together represent an industry of over 20,000 holiday parks across Europe. We estimate that EFCO&HPA members provide, on average, some 23% of all bednights in the EU each year.
Much of EFCO&HPA’s work is low profile but nevertheless of critical importance in representing the industry’s interests. This may be the reason why EFCO&HPA is not so well known at the grass-roots level.
During some very intense twice yearly General Assembly meetings members exchange views on legislative developments, decide future policy and encourage member organisations by sharing best practice and exchanging ideas.
Latest News Spring 2007
Acceptance of new EFCO&HPA members: Latvia and Serbia
The national trade association of the Baltic country of Latvia applied for full membership of EFCO&HPA in April 2006 and this application was accepted unanimously at the General Assembly in October 2006.
The Latvijas Kempingu Asociacija was founded after the country joined the European Union and is eager to expand and benefit from the knowledge and experience offered by membership of the Federation. The Latvian campsite members work together on different levels and market their businesses through their common website http://www.camping.lv
The national trade association of Serbia (former Yugoslavia) also applied to become a full member of EFCO&HPA and their application was warmly and unanimously accepted by the Assembly in March 2007.
The Serbian Association of Campsite Owners, CAS, was recently established and is in the process of developing its role and membership. The campsite members work together to market their businesses through the publication of the first Serbian camping brochure and their website www.camps-serbia.com
Links to all the national associations websites can be found by clicking on the European Park Guide tab above.
A Practical Guide to the EFCO&HPA / FICC Charter
In 1998 the FICC and EFCO&HPA published a joint charter which addressed the management of external risks on campsites and holiday parks. This publication was supported by a foreword by the then EU commissioner with responsibility for tourism, Christos Papoutsis.
This best practice initiative has assisted park owners and managers across Europe in the safe management of their campsites and parks and has played a key role in convincing political decision-makers of the responsible approach the industry takes in addressing the safety of guests.
To complement the safety charter, EFCO&HPA undertook to draft a practical guide to assist campsite and park owners in implementing the principles. This guide has now been launched and is available in English on the EFCO&HPA professional internet site http://www.efcohpa.eu. French, German and Italian language versions will follow shortly.
The EFCO&HPA European Camping Card
At the end of 2006 the German member association, BVCD, launched a new campsite guide and EFCO&HPA European Camping Card, similar to the current scheme already operated by the industry in Scandinavia.
The card will permit a quick check in, and depending on the countries, offer several advantages to the camper. More details can be found by clicking on the Camping Card tab above or contacting BVCD through the website www.bvcd.de
Motorhome Tourism
The General Assembly discussed and agreed an EFCO&HPA common policy position with regard to the increasingly popular motorhome sector. This paper will be used for lobbying purposes at the national level by the member associations.
