British tenting vacations increase in pandemic, figures show | Journey & leisure

The prospect of makeshift beds, campfire delicacies and extended-drop loos employed to be a turn-off for holidaymakers but new study underlines the scale of the domestic camping growth throughout Covid, as millions have swapped international sun loungers for s’mores and sleeping bags.

1 in five British grown ups have been on a camping or caravan holiday getaway due to the fact the pandemic commenced, in accordance to market place scientists Mintel. Of these about 4.5 million were being sleeping in a tent or caravan for the very first time, it believed.

With overseas excursions normally out of achieve, spending on these types of journeys surged to £2.7bn in 2021. That was approximately 80% a lot more than in 2020 when lockdowns decimated journey programs.

The affordability of these kinds of holidays is traditionally the major attraction but the pandemic observed an inflow of a lot more affluent family members on campsites, Mintel claimed. Just about four in 10 “Covid campers” experienced a home profits earlier mentioned £50,000, in contrast with about a fifth of people who camped or caravanned pre-crisis.

“Many of these shoppers are very likely to have substituted planned holidays overseas for staycations,” mentioned John Worthington, Mintel’s senior journey analyst – and it continues to be to be viewed if they will go all over again as overseas travel opens up, albeit in opposition to the backdrop of a price tag of residing disaster.

The “rising price tag of residing crisis has the opportunity to dampen client paying out on all holiday types”, he stated. “Camping and caravanning, having said that, keep the edge of being observed as an reasonably priced getaway. Our analysis demonstrates that ‘low cost’ is witnessed as the primary attraction for shoppers.”

He added that this section of the vacation market place had prospered prior to when persons ended up encountering economical hardship, these as all through the 2009 economic downturn, when they traded extra high-priced visits overseas for budget domestic holidays.

“In the brief-phrase, the value of living crisis might convey in those people with tighter house budgets who are reducing again on extra highly-priced vacations, like a opportunity trip abroad,” mentioned Worthington.

Organisations this kind of as the Camping and Caravanning Club are amongst the teams to have documented robust bookings right before the Easter getaway suggesting Britons, who have invested countless numbers pounds in a caravan or other vacation cars, which includes motorhomes and converted vans, are keen to use them yet again.

Very last 12 months dealerships struggled to get their palms on sufficient vans as a growing selection of below-40s, which include new doggy house owners, bought residences on wheels. Britons also purchased large portions of tenting materials, virtually cleansing out professional shops in advance of the summertime vacations.