Tuesday evening is the most popular time to book an outdoor holiday

Pitchup.com reveals top outdoor holiday trends

Online outdoor accommodation specialist Pitchup.com has revealed a fascinating insight into the choices and booking patterns of its customers. Among other findings, the statistics show the most popular time to book; where clients want to go; how many nights they book for; and how far in advance they book.

The statistics* reveal:

Tuesday is the most popular time to book

Throughout 2013, early weekday blues accounted for many bookings, with Tuesday being the busiest day of the week for sales and most bookings being made in the evening. 

44% of bookings made this year with Pitchup.com were for within a week of travel, while overall, holidays were booked 21.2 days before travelling (last year, the lead time was 17.3 days).

Outdoor holidays are not just for families

Almost half (49%) of Pitchup.com’s bookings this year didn’t include children. However for the remaining 51% that did, the children were mostly of school age.  The statistics show that families with infants and toddlers are less keen on outdoor accommodation holidays, with only 13% of bookings including children under five.

‘Glamping’ not as popular as you might expect

Much has been made in the media in recent years of the term ‘glamping’ – where accommodation and facilities are more luxurious than traditional caravan and camping – but in reality, glamping still accounts for a single-digit percentage of bookings, such is the size of the camping and caravanning market.

Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, said: “Many will be surprised by the take-up on the ‘glamping’ options. The media has played a huge part in raising awareness of glamping and this style of accommodation is available at approximately 20% of the locations on our books. However, the public is a little slower in taking up the opportunity to holiday in this way. Caravans, lodges, motorhomes and tents remain the most popular choice of accommodation by far, both for us and for the market as a whole.”

Short breaks surge in popularity

Once considered an annual holiday, it looks like outdoor UK breaks may be replacing the city break, with the average trip booked on Pitchup.com just 3.0 days long.  This is down slightly on the average 3.1 nights booked last year.

In general, outdoor holidays remain very much a short break option, with most visitors staying between two and five nights.  Durations are lowest for those staying in lodges, cabins and pods at just 2.2 nights, although bookings for this type of accommodation are made the furthest in advance.  The highest average is 4.6 nights for breaks in a hired static caravan, likely to be due to many having a minimum-stay policy.

Coast is more popular than countryside

All but two of Pitchup.com’s top 10 towns are in or around coastal resorts – clearly showing most Brits want sun, sea and sand rather than hiking up mountains or sightseeing.

Number one on the list is hip and trendy Newquay in Cornwall, which has long been renowned for its fabulous surf.

Three other Cornish towns make the top 10: Helston, ideally situated just a few miles from Penzance and Falmouth, is at number four; Bude on Cornwall’s north coast – famous for shipwrecks and another good surfing hangout – is at number six, while St Austell on the Cornish Riviera is at number seven.

Dawlish, on Devon’s south coast, is at number three, Weymouth and Bournemouth in Dorset are at numbers five and nine respectively, while the North Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough comes in at number 10.

The only two non-beach destinations in the top 10 are the historic spa town of Bath in Somerset, at number two, and Ashbourne in the Derbyshire Peak District, at number eight.

Favourite and least favourite destinations

Top five favourite counties

Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
North Yorkshire
Somerset

Top five favourite towns

Newquay
Bath
Dawlish
Helston
Weymouth

North Yorkshire is the only northern county to appear in the top five list.

Dan Yates added: “The traditional holiday counties of south-west England – Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset – are popular destinations, with plenty of excellent outdoor accommodation sites to choose from and lots to do in the way of sightseeing and relaxation, so it’s no surprise they are among the top five. North Yorkshire has some gorgeous beaches and plenty of attractions, so it thoroughly deserves its place in the top five.”

The least popular regions were mainly in Scotland, the north east and Ireland:

Five least popular counties

County Fermanagh
Berwickshire
County Tipperary
Orkney Islands
Cleveland

Five least popular towns:

Woodstock
Chippenham
Cricklade
Polperro
Welshpool

For more information visit www.pitchup.com.

 * Based on 2013 YTD

ends

Media information:

Cass Helstrip, Samantha Marsh or Jardine Howlett at White Tiger PR

Cass.helstrip@whitetigerpr.com 07968 255464

Samantha.marsh@whitetigerpr.com 07711 265666

Jardine.howlett@whitetigerpr.com 07866 508737

Notes to editors

Founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com man, Dan Yates, multi-award winning Pitchup.com is a free guide to all types of outdoor accommodation in the UK, Ireland and France. The site provides users with a simple platform in which they can search and book an outdoor holiday with total ease. The customer experience from landing on the home page through to booking a holiday can be completed in as little as four pages. The site also goes beyond traditional searches by allowing users to search for accommodation based on more than 80 criteria, such as adults only and campfires allowed, and view nearby events, Good Pub Guide pubs and VisitBritain attractions. Users can also search on the offers page to find the best deals available. Pitchup.com features over 5,000 UK wide camping and caravanning sites/parks with France recently added into the equation. It enables users to search for all types of parks and sites from the major brands right through to one off campsites and unique outdoor accommodation options, which may not have previously had a web presence.