Elaine Doran & Colletta Smith
Cost of living producer & correspondent
Getty Images
UK holidaymakers are leaving it later to book shorter stays closer to home, travel firms are reporting.
The trend is down to people trying to save money while making the most of hot weather, some of the UK’s biggest holiday companies have told the BBC.
Booking.com says the number of people searching their site in July for a UK trip in the next six weeks was up 23% on last year, while AirBnB says more Brits are “embracing spontaneous getaways close to home”.
Pitchup.com, which advertises around 3,000 UK campsites, says a quarter of this year’s bookings were made with just two days’ notice.
Sykes Holiday Cottages, with 23,000 properties across the UK, says the gap between booking and travel has fallen by 8% this year.
Airbnb added “all signs point to a summer where guests are again choosing quieter, affordable places”.
‘The whole industry’s seeing it’
At Butlin’s holiday park in Skegness people are making reservations slightly later than in previous years – with bookings up 22% in the last two weeks.
“I think the whole industry is seeing it,” resort director Andrew Leivers says.
“The last couple of weeks we’ve seen a real surge,” he adds. “We’ve got three, four and seven-night breaks… for different people’s budgets.”
Among the 80,000 holidaymakers who will visit the resort this summer is the Harmston family from Lincoln.
From left Neil, Alyssa, Kirsty, Oliver Harmston booked to go to Butlin’s two weeks before their stay
Mum Kirsty says: “We only booked it about two weeks before we came. We always try and get a last minute deal. We’d saved the money so we knew what our budget was and tried to grab a bargain.”
She says booking an all-inclusive stay in the UK meant she could keep costs down.
“The worst thing of going on holiday is everything else is added on top so you’ve planned your holiday you look at the price you’ve paid and you’ve got to pay extra and extra.”
Kayleigh Fry is at Butlin’s for four nights with her sister-in-law Kelly Towers and her children Casey and Corey and their cousin Marley.
From left Corey, Casey and Kayleigh Fry with Marley and Kelly Towers at Butlins
Kelly says short breaks can be more convenient for families.
“It’s easier. You can take a lot more with you when you stay in this country. There are so many pretty places out there in the UK.”
Nigel Dutton is the owner of Manor Wood Country Caravan Park. He’s noticed people are booking later to take advantage of good weather in the UK.
“Short breaks seem to be the name of the game at the moment,” he says.
“People can pre-pay, it’s all budgeted, so they know exactly what it’s going to cost them. I think we are seeing a revival of camping. It’s a nice way to get outdoors, get away from the stress without spending too much.”
That’s exactly what Chelsea and Adam Mahony from Manchester did. They booked an impromptu camping trip with their boys Gray and Rex.
“We decided last week that we couldn’t afford to go abroad this year so we bought a cheap tent online and thought let’s just try something closer to home,” says Chelsea.
“They’ve got some fresh air and room to run around. It doesn’t feel like home which is the main thing really.”
From left Andy, Sam, Kate and Poppy enjoyed a camping holiday in Cheshire
Andy and Kate Davis from Dudley camp regularly with their children Sam and Poppy.
“It’s a cheaper holiday than going abroad and we still get a break with the kids,” says Andy.
This year they’ve upgraded their kit. “I’ve bought a new carpet and a new vacuum as well,” he says.
They’re not alone – sports store Decathlon has told the BBC that the number of family tents sold has gone up 60% compared with last year, while GO Outdoors has seen camping equipment sales jump 20%.
Both retailers say growing numbers of their customers are upgrading their camping kit likes the Davis family to include luxuries like mattresses, carpets and furniture.
Their family camping trip gets a big thumbs-up from six-year-old Poppy: “I just really like coming with my friends and family. I just really like sleeping in a tent, even though my dad really wants a caravan.”