Almost a third of UK holidaymakers have chosen to stay at campsites or holiday parks during the Easter break, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers poll.
The PwC mobile phone poll texted more than 1,000 consumers on their plans for the Easter weekend. The popularity of camping and holiday park breaks increased by 12% year on year to 29% for 2009.
This compared to a fall in the number of holidaymakers opting to stay in a hotel over Easter from 35% last year to 31% this year.
The figures back up a recent trend for holidaymakers to book UK breaks in order to economise during the recession.
PwC travel director Ian Oakley-Smith said: “At the expense of budget airlines, this Easter is seeing a definite return to traditional British holidays.
“The currency parity, flexibility of travel and perceived value for money deals that UK based holiday camps offer has caused this sudden rise in popularity. The desire to holiday abroad during April has halved to only 2% of all consumers polled.”
But the figures also show that more than three quarters of those polled chose to stay at home over Easter rather than go on holiday in the UK or abroad. Last Easter 77% of those surveyed stayed at home.
Oakley-Smith added: “As the country acclimatises to the recession, consumers continue to find coping mechanisms to hold on to their holidays.
“We will therefore see overseas trips and stints in hotels being sacrificed for family-orientated entertainment at campsites and holiday parks.”
Meanwhile, there was a 31% rise in the number of over-55s choosing to spend Easter with the family this year with 35% of them chosing this option this year.
Last year the over-55s group showed the highest propensity to travel abroad of all age groups. “Now that times are tough they are returning to what they know to make their pound stretch further,” Oakley-Smith said.
PwC expects the UK to continue to be popular this summer but added that booking patterns have shifted much later. “Booking patterns are based on financial visibility and job security, and therefore as May and June approach we may see those who can afford it booking last minute and therefore preserving the hot holiday,” he added.
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