UK camping websites enjoyed a record day of bookings after the government said passengers returning from Spain must quarantine for 14 days, with one operator calling it the “final nail in the coffin” for those considering a foreign trip this summer.
Two camping websites, Pitchup.com and Campsites.co.uk, said they recorded their biggest day of reservations on Sunday following the previous evening’s announcement.
Travel operators said the sudden imposition of the measure – which was effective from midnight on Saturday – would encourage people to stay in the UK.
“For many who were just starting to consider booking a trip abroad, this is probably the final nail in the coffin,” said Dan Yates, the founder of Pitchup.com, which he said recorded 6,100 bookings for UK campsites on Sunday – nearly double last year’s highest daily figure and up almost a fifth on last Sunday.
Although Blackpool may replace Benidorm for some holidaymakers, industry figures are concerned that the drizzly British weather may put a dampener on a summer of staycations.
“The enthusiasm to jump on a plane and go and catch some sunshine somewhere is pretty understandable but we’ve just got to hope that there’s some decent sunshine in the UK for a few weeks now,” said Martin Smith, the founder of Campsites.co.uk, which also recorded its busiest day on Sunday.
Those looking for a staycation are being urged to move fast, however, as many campsites in popular destinations are almost full due to operating at reduced capacity to adhere to social distancing.
To satisfy the surge in demand, entrepreneurial farmers have been turning some of their land into temporary campsites, according to Jonathan Knight, the founder of Cool Camping, an online guide and bookings site listing 600 campsites.
Knight said UK reservations via Cool Camping had tripled compared with last summer, amid a new phenomenon of farmers using a 28-day planning exemption to turn their land into campsites.
“For people that are hoping to kind of do self-catering, a cottage or even a hotel, I think they will probably find there’s not an awful lot of availability left,” he said.
Bookings for Spain have plummeted 85% on Lastminute.com since the announcement on Saturday, with the UK and other European destinations receiving an immediate boost.
The site said bookings in the UK were up 13% on the previous week, with seaside escapes to Bournemouth, Scarborough, Newquay and Torquay among the most popular destinations.
Jane Pendlebury, the chief executive of the Hospitality Professionals Association, said the Spanish quarantine would be a boost for UK hoteliers, including potentially those in city centres, which have not seen the same interest as ones on the coast since the lockdown was eased in June.
She said hotels had taken extra measures to address cleanliness, hygiene and social distancing and that staying in the UK was a safer option for many than going abroad. “Lots of people can’t afford to take the risk of having to do 14 days quarantine when they get back from from their holiday and therefore are going to have to rethink – and let’s hope put that money into the UK economy,” she said.
