Safety was an issue this season when choosing camping

For the first time this year, safety was a criterion for holidaymakers when choosing a holiday. According to Vacanceselect, this is one of the most important consumer developments of the past holiday season. Holidaymakers also sought out less crowds and booked smaller inland campsites in Southern Europe.

While they were staying on Mediterranean beaches, they checked camping safety precautions online. Another trend resulting from this is that the holiday season is extending this year and lasting well into September. Moreover, many more people are already booking their summer holidays for 2017.

Glamping is a replacement for luxury resorts

Due to the unrest in Turkey and Egypt, these countries are losing out as a popular holiday destination. As a result, there was a peak in last minute bookings in June. The most popular were the luxury accommodations. Loek van de Loo, director of Vacanceselect: 'Glamping is for many people a good replacement for the all-inclusive resorts in Turkey and Egypt. The problem was that in June the available accommodation offer was limited. As a result, people ended up on a waiting list or postponed their vacation. That is why this holiday season is going on longer than last year. We are still receiving many bookings for the month of September.'

Many bookings on small campsites in Italy

Campsites in the Ardèche or in the interior of Italy and Spain recorded many more bookings this summer. The smaller campsites could enjoy greater popularity. According to Van de Loo, because people preferred to stay away from large crowds this summer.

'In the reviews on our site and those of Zoover, we saw that safety was a topic for the first time. When they did book for larger campsites, especially on the beaches, people judged it positive that they saw sufficient security around them. Or that not everyone could just enter the campsite uncontrollably. Campsites are thus increasingly developing into 'happy islands', in which the parents feel one hundred percent safe. Where they can let their children play and experience the perfect holiday feeling.'

High demand for destinations for 2017

Another consequence is that people are already booking their camping destination for 2017. Vacanceselect has almost twice as many bookings for next summer as around the same time last year. Van de Loo: 'In recent years people started looking for holiday accommodation later and later. Due to the freedom of the internet, the idea was that there was still something to be found. However, many consumers in Europe did not find the accommodation they were looking for this summer. That's why they want to make sure for next year that they don't bump their noses again. They ensure that their ideal holiday destination has already been determined.'

Source: press release Vacanceselect