A CARAVAN park should be opened in Southend to give visitors an affordable staycation option and convince daytrippers to stay for longer, traders say.

Martin Richardson, owner of the Happidrome Arcade on Southend seafront, hopes a caravan park and camping site would boost the town’s economy in the wake of Covid.

He fears the town has not seen the staycation boom it had hoped for this summer, with visitors only staying for the day and leaving again.

Mr Richardson, said: “Southend has always been a day tripping town, people want to stay but guest houses and budget hotels are often full with workers. We could do with some sort of place for static mobile homes and a touring site.

“Having a place where people camp, come in motor homes, go to the clubhouse and that sort of thing.It would be a boost to the town’s whole economy, whether it be the seafront or nearby businesses.”

Jacqui Dallimore, managing director of the Roslin Hotel, backed the idea but insisted Southend already “caters for all budgets”.

Ms Dallimore, chair of Southend Tourism Partnership, said: “I think staycations have been huge this summer, we are completely full.

“There is the odd night here and there, but it’s mostly been families coming down. But the only thing we are missing is a particular camping site and caravan holiday park.

“It would be fantastic to have something like this in our area, somewhere people can camp on and bring their own campervans.”

Read more >> Keen tourists ringing Southend's hotels as early as 6.45am to book rooms

Ian Gilbert, leader of Southend Council, has urged those with ideas for a potential site to come forward.

He said: “I personally would welcome something like that in our borough, and I’m sure my colleagues would as well. The difficulty is finding an appropriate site for it, there doesn’t seem to be any obvious places available in the town.

“We are fairly densely packed, so I’m not sure where that sort of facility would go. That being said, I think it would encourage more to stay in the area for longer if they’re looking for that type of holiday. That obviously has a positive knock-on.”