A record year for Sandy Balls holiday park (From Hampshire Chronicle)

New Forest tourist destination to invest £200,000 after best-ever season

5:50pm Thursday 31st January 2013 in Hampshire Business By Chris Yandell, Chief Reporter, New Forest

AN award-winning holiday centre is investing £200,000 in its future after celebrating a record-breaking year.

New figures released by the five-star Sandy Balls complex in the New Forest show that 2012 was the best season in its 90-year history.

It was also the fifth consecutive year in which the 120-acre site at Godshill, near Fordingbridge, experienced growth.

Sandy Balls is benefiting from the economic downturn, which has resulted in more people holidaying in the UK instead of going aboard.

Now its premium lodges, which are sited next to a nature reserve and overlook the Forest, are being upgraded at a cost of more than £100,000.

Sandy Balls is also spending £95,000 on a range of new caravans.

Managing director Iain Brown said: “The business has gone from strength to strength over the past five years. These latest results have far outweighed our predictions and targets.

“We’ve worked extremely hard to deliver the kind of quality and experience we know our visitors are looking for.

“There’s no doubt that the domestic holiday market has benefitted from the recession – it has become fashionable again to holiday in this country.

“But we’re not content to sit on our laurels and expect people to just turn up.

“We are in a great position to make some significant investment in our facilities, including upgrading our accommodation.”