UK tourism set for staycation boost

Camping holidays in the UK are set to experience a renaissance this summer as fewer Britons plan holidays abroad according to price comparison website Idealo.co.uk.

Figures from the price comparison site for March show flight bookings were down significantly on the same period last year with Greece (-39 per cent), Turkey (-35 per cent), France (-36 per cent) and Spain (-28 per cent) witnessing the biggest drops in bookings.

However the data from Idealo.co.uk does reveal a high level of interest in camping equipment. Searches for categories such as tents (+56 per cent), sleeping bags (+303 per cent), stoves (+25 per cent) and camping furniture (+265 per cent) are all up on the same period last year.

“Our own research has shown that families are struggling as pay packets stagnate. Coupled with new tax measures that came into force this week consumer confidence is rightly low and it’s inevitable they’ll cut back on things like holidays abroad,” said Matt Hopkins at Idealo.co.uk. “The upshot is that Britain’s tourism sector could see an unexpected boost over the summer as more of us choose to holiday at home.”