A YOUNG Pembrokeshire entrepreneur, whose family name is synonymous with the caravan industry, is taking advantage of the growing trend for camping and caravanning.

Covid-19 and the improvements in motorhome design are among the factors responsible for sparking the upsurge, says 23-year-old Connor Ennis from Tenby.

He is tapping into this popularity and appealing to a younger, eco-conscious audience, with his business CaravanCloud.

The online one-stop shop is for all things camping and caravan related, from buying and selling caravans to booking campsites.

Ennis Caravans was founded by Connor’s grandfather in Llanelli and soon became the largest caravan dealership in Wales and one of the first in the country.

Connor left school after sixth form to join the family firm, working as a sales executive at his father’s business, Tenby Tourers.

It wasn’t long before the concept of CaravanCloud was developed.

“Going into a sales job at the age of 18 is quite a difficult one, as a lot of our customers would be middle-aged and would have a lot more experience with caravans than I did,” he said. “As the job went on, and I started to learn a lot more about the industry, I also saw an opportunity for a new and fresh approach to make things easier for sales, and also for camping holidays.

“CaravanCloud was created with the aim of bringing all aspects of caravanning and camping and everything in between into one modern and easy-to-use place, simplifying the buying and selling process of caravans and motorhomes and also making it easier to find a campsite, caravan park or glamping site.”

Connor’s business journey has not been without challenges. At £10,000, his initial website outlay was far too high and took most of his savings, and he learnt the hard way that he would have to make a significant spend on digital marketing and search engine optimisation.

After making improvements, he has been delighted with how well the redesigned website has taken off.

Looking to the future, Connor expects the trend for holidaying in the UK to grow, especially in the eco-friendly category.

“We don’t know how long the impact of Covid-19 will be felt, but I do think that it is changing holidaying habits for the long run – particularly when you throw in other factors like increased luxury and the environmental impact of air travel,”

“Up until the Covid-19 pandemic our target customers for caravan and motorhome sales tended to be young families to retirees,” he says. “Since holidaying abroad has become more complicated, we have seen our usual target customer base broaden massively, with a large increase in younger people, young families, and wealthier middle-aged customers eager to buy caravans and motor homes – and a large the majority of these sales have been of new vehicles rather than used.”

www.caravancloud.com