Cliff House Holiday Park in Suffolk has reopened after a two-week closure caused by the Dunwich wildfire, with the operator working to rearrange around £100,000 worth of camping and self-catering bookings affected by the disruption.
The holiday park, located on Minsmere Road, was placed under threat as the wildfire spread across the Dunwich area. The closure came shortly after the park had completed preparations to reopen following a separate fire that caused significant damage to its bar and restaurant in January 2025.
Steven Johnson, director of Beeston Group, which owns Cliff House Holiday Park, said: “This is the worst event to ever happen to the heath, the last 16 days have been rollercoaster ride of worry.”
According to Johnson, the January 2025 incident began when a sausage roll chiller caught fire, destroying the park’s bar and restaurant and causing approximately £1 million in damage. The business had been preparing to resume normal operations when the wildfire created a further interruption.
Johnson credited emergency crews with protecting the holiday park and neighboring properties during the latest incident.
He continued: “The fire service has been absolutely brilliant and we extend sincere gratification to them for their professionalism and hard work saving our park and that of next door.
“With the office open we have been trawling through around £100k of camping and self catering bookings sorting them out for new holiday dates.
“We are ensuring everybody is happy. We reopened and luckily the park is unscathed which feels like a miracle.
“The area will recover quickly and the northern side of the heath is unharmed. Tourism has been affected but the UK staycation is incredibly resilient and we will all bounce back quickly.”
The reopening allows the park to resume operations while it manages the practical effects of the closure, including moving reservations and communicating with guests. For operators in areas exposed to wildfire or other climate-related disruptions, the situation illustrates how emergency closures can create operational challenges even when a property itself avoids physical damage.
The disruption also comes against a broader backdrop of visitor-economy pressures along the Suffolk coast. East Suffolk Council leader Caroline Topping said visitor numbers across the district remained positive, with July footfall reported to be nearly 15% higher than in July 2024.
However, she acknowledged that the impact has not been evenly distributed among businesses and destinations.
Topping told the East Anglian Daily Times: “However, while the impact of recent climate-related events is not necessarily being felt across the whole district, this has clearly affected a number of businesses who depend on visitors and the pull of these impacted areas.
“We are working closely with local stakeholders to help address these short and long-term challenges.
“We have also secured considerable funding from Sizewell C to support the visitor economy, mitigate impacts where possible and help strengthen East Suffolk’s appeal as a visitor destination during the construction period and beyond.”
For holiday parks and campgrounds, the experience highlights the importance of having contingency procedures for weather-related emergencies, including guest communications, reservation transfers and reopening plans.
While Cliff House Holiday Park reported no physical damage from the wildfire, the closure still created a significant administrative and financial workload because of the volume of affected reservations.
The situation also demonstrates the potential difference between property-level damage and destination-level disruption. Even when a park remains intact, restrictions, public safety concerns and reduced access to nearby attractions can affect demand and guest travel plans.
For operators in wildfire-prone or climate-sensitive destinations, maintaining flexible booking policies and clear emergency communication processes can therefore be an important part of business continuity planning.