Ask Peter Englert whether he is a naturist and he appears a little taken
aback. "I'm not quite sure what that is," he says. "When I'm on a nude beach
I take my clothes off."
The suggestion that there is anything unusual about the desire to strip
naked and hang around with a group of like-minded unclad devotees of the
great outdoors is treated with reactions varying from surprise to mild
annoyance by Britain's estimated one million naturists. If there is one
thing that everyone in the world has in common, it is the fact that
underneath our clothes we are all naked, they say.
Mr Englert knows more than most about the desire to relax in the
all-together. The 70-year-old German-born entrepreneur has sold the naturist
travel business he established 35 years ago in a £1.8m deal with a company
called Travelzest.
With a £2.6m annual turnover, and claiming a 90 per cent share of the
unclothed package travel market, Mr Englert's brainchild, Peng Travel,
offers destinations in Europe, America and the Caribbean. As well as more
conservative
family nudists holidays, its flagship resorts, Hedonism II and III, on
Jamaica's seven-mile Negril beach, offer no-holds-barred adult fun -
shorthand for a vibrant sex scene - where an all-inclusive 14 nights costs
up to £2,500.
Mr Englert founded the business around the time that Carry on Camping was
linking nudism and the outdoors with the pursuit of sex in the minds of
British cinema audiences. But it was frustration rather than raw ambition
that was to be his inspiration.
"I was tired of being pushed around by bosses who pooh-poohed good
business ideas I put forward, only to come up with identical ones themselves
three months later," he said. "I thought I should go into business for
myself."
But there was a problem: he didn't have any money for
nudist pictures. Scanning the
international travel trade, he came across a German operator who was
catering for 360,000 nude holidaymakers a year. It seemed to be the ideal
niche market. "I thought, here is my opportunity. I don't have to spend
millions on advertising against Cosmos and Thomsons. All I have to do is
contact the 120 naturist clubs and send brochures and advertise in their two
magazines."
Since then the market has grown dramatically. In an indication of just
how mainstream naturism has come, Travelzest, an ambitious young company
with plans to become a £100m travel conglomerate, came knocking at the door.
Its chief executive, Chris Mottershead, wants to tap into the market offered
by Europe's 20 million to 25 million naturists.
"A huge number of people have tried nude sunbathing and are comfortable
with it, and then there are the people who want to live in the nude. It
seems to be a British thing to find it embarrassing - in Europe and other
parts of the world it is not an issue," he said.
But there are problems. In the internet age many customers find naturist
websites blocked because they are lumped together by filters which are
designed to screen out pornographic sites. But according to Andrew Welch,
commercial manager of British Naturism, public attitudes are changing. "It
is quite simply a wonderful way of being," he says. "It is totally
inoffensive and it is perfectly clear the law is not against naturism.
"Things such as Page 3 encourage the perception that the naked body is
all about sex. This is simply not true," said Mr Welch.
On its website, British Naturism seeks to reassure those worried about
getting aroused during their first visit, stating boldly: "Nudity in sun
clubs is not sexually stimulating. Being naked in a social environment for
the first time will give you plenty else to think about."
The top five destinations
* HEDONISM II AND III, Jamaica
Adult-only resorts with the emphasis on sexuality. Activities range from
the standard volleyball and aerobics to risqué contests and drinking games.
* CAP D'AGDE, France
Not a resort but an entire nudist city on the Mediterranean. Attracts
40,000 nudists at the height of the summer season.
* LAKE COMO FAMILY NUDIST RESORT, Florida
Established in 1947, it claims to be Florida's oldest nudist resort. Home
to the Bare Buns Bikers and the annual Dare To Go Bare run.
* PEVORS FARM COTTAGES, Essex
A four-star resort in tranquil countryside, with an indoor heated
swimming pool and secluded sunbathing areas, as well as a barbecue for the
more sociable nudist.
* COSTA NATURA, Spain
Spain's first purpose-built nudist resort, near Marbella, with 200
apartments.
Ask Peter Englert whether he is a naturist and he appears a little taken
aback. "I'm not quite sure what that is," he says. "When I'm on a nude beach
I take my clothes off."
The suggestion that there is anything unusual about the desire to strip
naked and hang around with a group of like-minded unclad devotees of the
great outdoors is treated with reactions varying from surprise to mild
annoyance by Britain's estimated one million naturists. If there is one
thing that everyone in the world has in common, it is the fact that
underneath our clothes we are all naked, they say.
Mr Englert knows more than most about the desire to relax in the
all-together. The 70-year-old German-born entrepreneur has sold the naturist
travel business he established 35 years ago in a £1.8m deal with a company
called Travelzest.
With a £2.6m annual turnover, and claiming a 90 per cent share of the
unclothed package travel market, Mr Englert's brainchild, Peng Travel,
offers destinations in Europe, America and the Caribbean. As well as more
conservative family holidays, its flagship resorts, Hedonism II and III, on
Jamaica's seven-mile Negril beach, offer no-holds-barred adult fun -
shorthand for a vibrant sex scene - where an all-inclusive 14 nights costs
up to £2,500.
Mr Englert founded the business around the time that Carry on Camping was
linking nudism and the outdoors with the pursuit of sex in the minds of
British cinema audiences. But it was frustration rather than raw ambition
that was to be his inspiration.
"I was tired of being pushed around by bosses who pooh-poohed good
business ideas I put forward, only to come up with identical ones themselves
three months later," he said. "I thought I should go into business for
myself."
But there was a problem: he didn't have any money. Scanning the
international travel trade, he came across a German operator who was
catering for 360,000 nude holidaymakers a year. It seemed to be the ideal
niche market. "I thought, here is my opportunity. I don't have to spend
millions on advertising against Cosmos and Thomsons. All I have to do is
contact the 120 naturist clubs and send brochures and advertise in their two
magazines."
Since then the market has grown dramatically. In an indication of just
how mainstream naturism has come, Travelzest, an ambitious young company
with plans to become a £100m travel conglomerate, came knocking at the door.
Its chief executive, Chris Mottershead, wants to tap into the market offered
by Europe's 20 million to 25 million naturists.
"A huge number of people have tried nude sunbathing and are comfortable with
it, and then there are the people who want to live in the nude. It seems to
be a British thing to find it embarrassing - in Europe and other parts of
the world it is not an issue," he said.
But there are problems. In the
internet age many customers find naturist websites blocked because they are
lumped together by filters which are designed to screen out pornographic
sites. But according to Andrew Welch, commercial manager of British
Naturism, public attitudes are changing. "It is quite simply a wonderful way
of being," he says. "It is totally inoffensive and it is perfectly clear the
law is not against naturism.
"Things such as Page 3 encourage the perception that the naked body is
all about sex. This is simply not true," said Mr Welch.
On its website, British Naturism seeks to reassure those worried about
getting aroused during their first visit, stating boldly: "Nudity in sun
clubs is not sexually stimulating. Being naked in a social environment for
the first time will give you plenty else to think about."
The top five destinations
* HEDONISM II AND III, Jamaica
Adult-only resorts with the emphasis on sexuality. Activities range from
the standard volleyball and aerobics to risqué contests and drinking games.
* CAP D'AGDE, France
Not a resort but an entire nudist city on the Mediterranean. Attracts
40,000 nudists at the height of the summer season.
* LAKE COMO FAMILY NUDIST RESORT, Florida
Established in 1947, it claims to be Florida's oldest nudist resort. Home
to the Bare Buns Bikers and the annual Dare To Go Bare run.
* PEVORS FARM COTTAGES, Essex
A four-star resort in tranquil countryside, with an indoor heated
swimming pool and secluded sunbathing areas, as well as a barbecue for the
more sociable nudist.
* COSTA NATURA, Spain
Spain's first purpose-built nudist resort, near Marbella, with 200
apartments.