Camping statistics

There are few things Brits love more than a good cup of tea - but camping may just be one of them, or better yet, both can be enjoyed together!

Nowadays with the rise of glamping and staycations there are even more opportunities for people to enjoy holidays within the UK and we're certainly not wasting them. According to the Great Britain Tourism Survey (2015), 15.39 million camping and caravanning trips were taken, averaging 4.2 nights in duration (64.7m total) and £162 in spend. 74.2% of trips were within England, 17.0% in Wales and 8.7% in Scotland. The total value to the economy was £2.5bn.

Those figures are up 3.2% on 2014 when 14.91 million trips averaging 4.1 nights were recorded.

However, those figures aren't quite as transparent as you'd expect, as they also include static caravan hire. The real figures for 2015 are broken down in more detail in The GB Tourist report, and include:

Touring caravan trip statistics

• 4.24m trips (80.0% England, 10.9% Wales and 9.1% Scotland) up 3.2% vs 2014
• 19.7m nights (4.6 nights on average) up 7.1% vs 2014
• Worth £664m (an average of £34 per night) up 5.6% vs 2014

Camping trip statistics

• 4.38m trips (82.1% England, 11.8% Wales and 6.1% Scotland) up 11.7% vs 2014
• 15.0m nights (3.4 nights on average) up 13.6% vs 2014
• Worth £574m (an average of £38 per night) up 11.2% vs 2014

Glamping trip statistics

• 0.24m trips (66.7% England, 29.2% Wales and 4.2% Scotland)
• 1.1m nights (4.6 nights on average)
• Worth £51m (an average of £46 per night)

Glamping figures were not separated out in the 2014 figures provided by The GB Tourist report.

This more accurate data puts the total value to the economy at £1.29bn, excluding motorhome trips which are categorised under personal transport and not easily separated out. It's worth noting that the majority of these trips are tourism/holiday related, but there is also a growing trend for work related stays. 110k touring trips and 190k camping trips were work related during 2015, including accommodation for contract workers.

Our recent survey of  6,457 campers provides some more insights!

The number of trips campers take

According to the survey, on average people planned to take three camping trips each year.

How many nights campers spend on average in a campsite

78% of the people we surveyed spent three nights or more on average when camping.

How much campers spend

On average, our campers had a typical budget of £405 for their holiday.

Popular camping locations

Being beside the sea is a particularly popular choice, with 47% of responses rating it as their favourite place to camp. 15% of people chose the hills or mountains, and 14% chose by a lake.

The most popular months for camping

Unsurprisingly, the most popular months were August (chosen by 60% of campers), followed by July (49%). The least popular months were January, February and December, with less than 2% of those surveyed planning to camp in January.

Kudos to that tiny minority!

Booking in advance

The majority of campers book a few months in advance (28% of responses), and a further 25% of people always book ahead by at least a few weeks. A surprisingly large 12% don't book ahead at all - blame the weather for that?

The most important campsite facilities

64% of our campers thought that showers and toilet blocks were essential facilities. BBQs, family friendly campsites and the availability of electric hook-ups were the next most popular.

How do you compare?