The following is a report from AboutCampBtoB.com.
The European Caravan Federation has published an analysis of the leisure vehicle market in Europe in 2023 and for the first quarter of 2024 detailing which countries have experienced major changes and the trends in caravan and motorhome sales.
Across Europe and the UK as a whole, there was a decrease of 4.2% in total registrations in 2023 compared to 2022. Specifically, caravan registrations declined by 10.9%, while motor caravan registrations saw a slight reduction of 1.0% in 2023.
Registrations January – December 2023: Link to PDF
Countries with Major Changes:
- Austria: Recorded a 20.7% decrease in total registrations, with a 20.1% drop in caravan registrations and a 20.8% decline in motor caravan registrations.
- Belgium: Saw an overall decrease of 9.4%, with caravan registrations down by 21.4% and motor caravan registrations by 6.8%.
- Germany: Despite being one of the largest markets, it experienced a slight decrease of 0.7% in total registrations. Caravans fell by 10.5%, but motor caravans increased by 3.0%.
- France: Total registrations decreased by 1.7%, with a 1.6% increase in caravans and a 2.7% decrease in motor caravans.
- Italy: Showed stability with an almost unchanged total registration figure (from 6,487 to 6,484).
- United Kingdom: Recorded a 1.1% decrease in total registrations. Caravan registrations declined by 5.0%, while motor caravan registrations increased by 3.3%.
First Quarter of 2024: Link to PDF
In the first three months of 2024, the European leisure vehicle market continued to show interesting dynamics, with an overall increase of 2.6% compared to the same period in 2023.
Countries with Significant Performance:
- France: Registered a 3.6% increase in total registrations, with an 8.8% growth in motor caravans.
- Germany: Continues to see growth, with a 4.5% increase in total registrations, driven by a 7.2% rise in motor caravans.
- Italy: Showed a significant growth of 12.4%, with a 17.3% increase in motor caravans.
- United Kingdom: Registered a 5.8% increase in total registrations. Caravan registrations decreased by 7.3%, while motor caravans showed a significant increase of 20.2%.
Countries with Significant Declines:
- Austria: Saw a 20.6% decrease in total registrations, with a 14.1% drop in caravans and a 22.0% decline in motor caravans.
- Norway: Recorded a 22.9% drop in total registrations, with a 26.6% decrease in caravans and a 19.8% decline in motor caravans.
- Switzerland: Showed a 12.4% reduction in total registrations.
From these numbers, Germany, France, and the UK emerge as robust markets with positive growth trends, while countries like Austria and Norway face significant declines. The first quarter of 2024 indicates a slight optimism with overall growth, suggesting a potential recovery in the sector.
See the full report from Aboutcamp BtoB here.
