Camping holidays on the increase

Tent camping has never been as popular according to the 450,000 member strong Camping and Caravanning Club, the oldest Club in the world for people regardless of how they choose to camp.

Recent figures state that 40% of new members who join The Club to make the most of their leisure time do so as tent campers. This is a trend that has been steadily increasing for a number of years and looks set to continue. What's more, the average age of people camping with The Club has dropped from 60 to 49 as more families head for a 'green' holiday where they get to enjoy more of the Great British Countryside as well as spending in excess of £32m* in local, rural economies

Even with the weather as it has been this year, occupancy for sites is up by 2.1% overall and, with the gorgeous Autumn, campers are out in force with a 7.2% increase in people staying on sites during the month of October.

The Club is a proud innovator and pioneer of camping trends, constantly assessing what campers need to make the most of their outdoor lifestyle adventures. It recently introduced a tent only site in Cumbria, Eskdale, which provides a picture perfect backdrop for walkers and explorers alike who want to make the most of the lakes. In its first year the site has seen a marked increase in occupancy.

The Club offers 16,500 camp site pitches on almost 1,500 sites in the UK. Its sites include small, rural camp sites where often the only person enjoying the view is you as well as award-winning 5 star sites which offer the best accommodation and facilities for campers in the UK.

Matthew Eastlake, Marketing and Communications Director for The Club said: "The Club is finding that the trend towards taking UK holidays under canvas is on the increase - more so now than for many years. New styles of tent and better equipment is paving the way to more campers spending their leisure time doing what they want to when they want to. It's about the freedom to have an adventure without the hassles of planning months in advance."

Industry specialists AMG have also observed a rise in tent camping popularity.

Alastair Moodie said: "Our market research clearly shows whilst the indifferent weather, this summer, has dented the consumers confidence, camping in the outdoors is on the increase - a trend which is reflected in the confidence of the retail market going forward (for next year)."

For further details on The Club and its sites and services, log on to Thefriendlyclub.co.uk.

*Spend in the local Community Report 2007, The Camping and Caravanning Club.