Published: 23rd August 2019

Last Updated: 16th July 2024

Preventing car park abuse in tourist hubs and camping sites

With summer in full swing, tourist attractions across the UK – from national landmarks and theme parks to beaches and campsites – are usually at full capacity, placing significant pressure on their parking. Unfortunately, with this upswing in activity comes an increase in holidaymakers abusing the car parks of tourist hubs, as everyone joins the fight for that perfect parking space.

How can landowners and their busy teams deal with this misuse? We’re delving into the options available to tackle abuse and prevent it impacting revenue and visitor experience across a host of popular tourist locations and campsites.

Pitched tent overlooking a view of a loch at sunset

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The issue of non-genuine visitors

Sites with their own car park may experience problems associated with non-genuine customers and motorists using their parking facilities, leaving legitimate paying customers to look elsewhere to park their vehicles, while others enjoy the space at the company’s expense. The frustration experienced by the customer is equal only to the dismay felt by the business and tourist attraction at large, who are losing custom as a result of this domino effect. If you’re one of these businesses feeling the pain, you’re not alone.

This was a major issue faced by Wye Valley Visitor Centre. A thriving tourist spot since 1981, the Visitor Centre boasts attractions such as the ‘aMazing Hedge Puzzle’, a butterﬂy zoo, miniature golf, and a laser tag battleground, alongside a café and outdoor picnic area. However, non-customers were taking advantage of the tourist hubs’ available parking, dramatically reducing spaces for loyal customers.

During the 2017 August bank holiday, a staggering 50% of vehicles in their car park belonged to people not actually visiting Wye Valley. Whilst the management team at the Visitor Centre were keen to ensure they didn’t affect genuine customers’ experience, they knew they had to tackle their issues with parking abuse to protect both the reputation of the centre and hard earned revenue.

Or, if you’re having your own issues with parking misuse and abuse in your tourist centre or camping site, read on for a range of suggestions which can help.

Wyre Valley Visitor Centre

During the 2017 August bank holiday, a staggering 50% of vehicles in their car park belonged to people not actually visiting Wye Valley

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Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras

A by-product of motorists misusing these areas is a reduction in revenue for sites with paid parking. Installing technology to track who has and hasn’t paid provides far more control and is the first step in enforcing your rules on site. ANPR solutions provide reliable and effective automatic parking management so you can keep track of who enters and exits your site, payments made and much more.

ANPR is used for many different applications, including security, theft prevention, and lost ticket fraud, all of which can help to increase revenue generation. The technology allows landowners and site managers to monitor the duration of stay too, guarding against overnight parking for instance (unless authorised of course) or staying all day when you don’t see a single penny from their visit. The system does all the hard work, ensuring motorists intending to use your site’s facilities can enter seamlessly whilst deterring non-genuine customers. Even better, your business can say goodbye to the all-too-common customer complaints and time-stealing admin often associated with trying to manage car park abuse on your own.

Improved payment solutions

After travelling long distances to get to their destination, holidaymakers want nothing more than to be able to park their car with minimal fuss and get on with their holiday. So, what can tourist hubs and campsite managers do to implement a parking process that will help people get their holidays off to the perfect start? Convenience plays a massive part in creating efficient parking payments but also enhancing and streamlining the customer experience. Luckily, ANPR technology makes this easier than ever.

Cashless solutions (payments made by card, phone or online) are particularly hassle-free and get round some frustrations associated with traditional methods, such as the need to find physical machines, queue to make payment, recall vehicle details accurately and provide the right change.

Sites can completely eliminate all of those issues with solutions like pre-booking and autopay. They allow motorists to take care of their stay in advance, or automatically, which means less fuss.

These are stress-free, frictionless parking solutions and alongside being an effective barrier against abuse, also optimise site throughput/flow, deliver a far smoother customer experience without any need to queue or scramble for change, and can really boost revenues.

Other options…

Another possibility when looking at ways to eradicate abuse is the use of terminal machines within your facility. A quick and easy solution, genuine customers simply type in a few details and the ANPR system validates them as an ‘authorised’ visitor. Fully customisable to your site, any motorists not using your facilities that fail to register will be very effectively identified and could receive a parking charge to deter future abuse.

With the increase in visitor numbers, car parks can suffer from congestion, which only adds to the confusion. Improving the signage in places where it’s needed most can help with the flow and direction of traffic, ensuring that traffic is constantly moving, freeing up space and minimising any bottlenecks in the process.

No matter which application you opt for, ANPR technology can give you back control of your site and accurately identify those not adhering to your rules.

Installing ANPR is incredibly effective at protecting holidaymakers from being forced out by non-paying customers, ensuring they have a space to park once they’ve arrived. Having to look elsewhere for a space can be frustrating, placing the onus on parking managers to alleviate these problems. We understand that navigating the maze of car park management options can be daunting but we can help.

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Car park management

Parkingeye is the market-leading provider of ANPR on private land. Looking to prevent misuse and abuse in your site? Head over to our car park management solutions page for more information, and get in touch with us today!