Wick campsite worth over £600,000 to local economy this year, survey finds
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Visitors staying at Wick's revamped caravan site this year will have contributed well over £600,000 to the local economy by the end of the season, it has emerged.
Analysis by Wick Development Trust, which is operating Wick River Campsite as a community enterprise, found that the average spend per travel group was £136.69.
With bookings expected to total 4700 by the end of the season in late October, the overall amount spent locally would be approximately £642,000.
The figures have been provided as part of the development trust's application to Highland Council for £90,000 in Community Regeneration Funding towards the cost of a new facilities block, including modern toilets, showers and laundry.
The application will go before the council's Caithness committee on Monday.
The riverside campsite officially reopened under the trust's management in June 2022 after terms were agreed with the council for the lease. Profits will ultimately go towards local regeneration efforts after a three-year upgrading plan.
The new facilities block is projected to cost more than £450,000 and will replace the existing prefabricated building which is said to be "no longer fit for purpose" and "not meeting visitor expectations".
In its application, the trust says: "While the campsite receives many positive reviews, any negative comments we receive are typically towards the toilet block and its need to be updated."
When the post-visit survey was compiled, in July, the site had taken 3771 bookings. “We expect this may rise to 4700 by the end of the season," the application states. "If we use the average spend per travel group (£136.69) against this figure we can estimate that those staying at the campsite are contributing over £600k to the local economy.
“While this was an informal survey, the results on visitor spend are comparable to other visitor expenditure surveys commissioned by Highland Council.”
The document highlights the importance of the site for tourism.
It says: "Having high-quality visitor facilities on site will encourage more visitors to the area [and] longer stays with a knock-on effect to all that benefit from the tourism and hospitality sector including shops, bars, restaurants, visitor attractions and fuel stations."
The application points out that the trust's long-term goal is "to support and enable the regeneration of Wick" and that its trustees are "a group of local, passionate people who volunteer their expertise to Wick Development Trust as a vehicle to stimulate economic recovery and growth".
The trust notes that in recent years the site had suffered from a lack of substantial investment, "resulting in outdated and inadequate facilities". Its three-phase business plan is aimed at bringing the facilities up to a modern standard and maximising income.
Trust chairman Jonathan Miller gave an update on the project at the July meeting of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council.
He said that, if funding can be secured, the aim is to start work on the new facilities block on November 1 – the day after the site closes for 2023.
In an earlier progress report, Mr Miller said the site is on course to be "highly profitable for the town".
Sarah Lamb is in a three-year post as Wick Development Trust project officer and support has been provided by Alistair Jack, development trust support officer at Caithness Voluntary Group.
