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DAN YATES INDUSTRY INSIGHTS<br />
▲ Campers are looking for experiences as well as amazing places to camp, so says the research that Pitchup.com has conducted.<br />
“If we can build on the momentum of recent years to embed the<br />
unique attractions of an outdoor holiday in the popular imagination,<br />
we can permanently take market share from hotels and holiday lets.”<br />
DAN YATES <strong>–</strong> FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PITCHUP.COM<br />
breaks taken closer to home,<br />
with the time between booking<br />
and arrival shrinking.<br />
Dog-friendly stays have also<br />
become more popular, with<br />
48% more searches on our<br />
website compared to 2019, as<br />
has combining camping and<br />
angling, with searches using the<br />
‘fishing’ filter up 99%.<br />
The ‘electric’ filter has been<br />
used 43% more this year too,<br />
bolstered by higher expectations<br />
from new customers and the<br />
new flexibility to work remotely.<br />
Do you think the current<br />
boom in camping will<br />
continue? If so, will it<br />
change?<br />
With environmental campaigns<br />
becoming more influential and<br />
sustainability moving up the<br />
agenda, outdoor holidays are on<br />
the right side of history. Few,<br />
if any, trips involve flights, the<br />
embedded carbon in campsite<br />
construction is a fraction of<br />
built accommodation and<br />
this type of holiday naturally<br />
promotes low-impact activities<br />
and getting closer to nature.<br />
This, coupled with the fact<br />
that it is an affordable holiday<br />
option that helps with our<br />
mental wellbeing, will stand<br />
our industry in good stead<br />
for the future. To this point,<br />
campsites and holiday parks<br />
that are conscious of these<br />
factors and adapt their sites<br />
accordingly will reap the<br />
rewards in years to come.<br />
How do you think the<br />
increasing financial<br />
pressure on consumers and<br />
general instability will affect<br />
camping?<br />
We expect to see more<br />
travellers swapping hotel or<br />
holiday let breaks for the<br />
cheaper alternative of camping<br />
or caravanning. Consumer<br />
watchdog Which? found in<br />
January that holidaymakers<br />
could save 84% on a trip to<br />
Cornwall by booking a tent or<br />
caravan pitch instead of a hotel<br />
room. For the Isle of Wight the<br />
savings were 72% for a tent and<br />
44 | www.campingtradeworld.com
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