Happy campers pitch up at booming website
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THE arrival of sunshine cheers up most of us, but entrepreneur Dan Yates had particular reason to celebrate. Bookings at Pitchup.com, where holidaymakers can choose from more than 5,000 camping and caravan sites in Britain and across the Continent, shot up last week as the sunshine prompted people to plan their next trip away.
‘The weather definitely made a difference,’ said Yates, who launched Pitchup in 2009. ‘Camping and caravanning is often a last-minute choice, so we make it really easy for people to book online or via their smartphones.’
The last-minute reference is apt as Yates, 37, worked at the online travel giant Lastminute.com before setting up on his own.
A keen camper himself, Yates saw that while the hotel industry had embraced online booking, the more fragmented and less technically minded camping industry was in danger of being left behind.
So as well as signing up the big four operators – Bourne Leisure, Parkdean, Park Resorts and Park Holidays – to his site, Yates is also attracting individual campsite operators, who are seeing the benefit of reaching a wider audience.
About 500,000 people will book via Pitchup this year, more than double last year. The rise is a result of more sites available online, as well as a growing willingness to book via smartphones.
‘The industry was given a great boost during the recession, when people decided to holiday in the UK, and that ‘staycation’ effect has remained,’ said Yates.
‘Now there’s a huge choice, from traditional tents and caravans to teepees, yurts, wigwams and pods, and that has helped bring in people who wouldn’t even have tried camping before.’