Dutch love of caravans rescues maker from the brink

By Alexandra Hudson

HOOGEVEEN, Netherlands (Reuters) - Mention caravans to the Dutch and watch their eyes gleam.

They may be some of the world's tallest people but the Dutch love squeezing themselves and their families into tiny, boxy interiors and boast of the fact that at any time, in any camp site the world over there will probably be a Dutch caravaner.

"I think I was conceived in one," joked Maarten de Roos, director of the sole remaining Dutch caravan manufacturer Kip Caravans, whose staff have just saved it from bankruptcy with a buy-out from its previous owner.

Even among Europe's die-hards, the caravan's appeal had been waning: annual caravan sales in the Netherlands fell by 35 percent between 2003 and 2007, which De Roos blamed on a weak Dutch economic climate and poor consumer confidence of recent years.

Budget flights, package holidays and people's ever-increasing wanderlust may also have conspired to consign the caravan to history, making it the nostalgia-fuelled hobby of a handful of ageing enthusiasts.

But the rescue of Kip, which goes back to 1934 and means 'chicken' in Dutch, comes as holiday-makers elsewhere in Europe are increasingly getting the caravanning bug.

Interest in caravanning is not driven by penny-pinching so much as a mix of nostalgia, environmental concern or the novelty kick of swapping a hotel room for an increasingly luxurious mobile home.

"Caravans are developing a glamorous appeal," said Ruth Walmsley of Britain's Camping and Caravanning Club, which has seen a surge in new members and campsite bookings.