Camping holidays doubled in August
UK campsites and holiday parks were twice as busy this August as more people get a taste of camping for the first time.
It has been one of the most noticeable features of the UK staycation boom due to the uncertainty over international travel.
According to the latest figures from outdoor accommodation booking platform Pitchup.com, arrivals at UK campsites and holiday parks this August are more than double than pre-pandemic numbers.
August arrivals this year are up by the highest amount of all at over three times the level of 2019 stays.
Cornwall is the most popular county, as in 2019, and Haverfordwest the most popular town.
Based on booking data from almost 580,000 campers this August alone compared to the same period in 2019, regions including the North East and North West of England, along with North and West Wales have all increased in popularity.
The South West of England retains pole position as the top region with over 30% of all bookings.
"The trend to book even more last minute is understandable given the huge amount of uncertainty around travel. Where the outdoor sector has the edge in meeting demand is with a huge amount of accommodation that can scale up quickly," said Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com.
"For example, temporary campsites operating under 56-day Permitted Development Rights can literally open up within 24 hours."
The platform has welcomed an additional 1,379 sites over the course of this year, breaking all previous records.
"When you think that only a 1% shift from foreign holidays to UK domestic camping and caravanning would mean a 10% growth in the market, there’s a huge opportunity for UK campsites and the largely-rural economies that benefit from the increased spend," Yates added.
He said ‘huge numbers of Brits’ took their first-ever camping, caravan or glamping holiday during this year.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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