Camper van National Heros

It's the eve of the 2012 European Championship and it seems that we have a new set of unlikely national heros, namely the lads (used with gender neutral intent) in the campers heading for Poland. Unless you have had your head stuck under a pillow, it's likely you will have heard, seen or read about a camper van excursion to Poland for the Euros. While thousands of dedicated fans are making their way to Poland by air, train, car, and even by bike. It seems that none have caught the imagination of our national media quite like the fans in the camper vans, as illustrated by a simple google images search.

The efforts of these dedicated fans has been lauded by the print press, radio and television alike. Each exalting the participants to near hero status in their own right. Just two snippets from this morning; the John Murray show had a piece on 'lads in a van' and there is this article in today's Irish Times.

Now don't get us wrong, the praise and adulation is well deserved. It's brilliant. Excited fans heading for the Euros, perhaps more in hope than expectation, but every jersey, flag, scarf and decked out camper seems to be lifting the mood of the nation or at least distracting us for a little while. But it gets us to thinking why is it that we can be so positive in our attitudes to camper vans for something like the Euros and yet fail so miserably to support and promote camper van holiday in Ireland? The John Murray show reported, perhaps with a little exaggeration for the sake of emphasis, that 'every' available camper van in Germany has been rented out. Often these tales have included snippets of plans to extend their Euro holiday in the camper afterwards. Do you hear the Germans complaining about all this extra tourist revenue? But with their incredible of network of Stellplatz and Aire-de-Services, which complement the full service campsites, the Germans and French have been maximising the potential of camper van tourism for years. Unfortunately, not so here.

Isn't it mighty when the lads head off for Poland in the campers and everyone cheers them onward.  But meanwhile in the offices of our County Councils, a general negativity towards camper vans prevails with height barriers and bans still the order of the day. But as with the Euros, hope is a great thing and some enlightened communities and County Councils such as Crossmolina and Mayo Co. Co. are seeing the opportunity. Let's hope this continues and we see the development of a network of Aire-de-Services in Ireland. Properly done, everyone is a winner.