Camping gaining popularity amongst travelers in the UK

A down economy, fun outdoor festivals and a yearning for nostalgic travel experiences is making some travelers across the pond take to the open air for their next sustainable travel adventure.

Answering this surge in interest is a relatively new website, the London-based Pitchup.com, a campsite and vacation-park search engine.

“2009 is the year of the ‘staycation’ and particularly camping and caravanning,” said Dan Yates, Managing Director of Pitchup.com. “The credit crunch, investment in tourism facilities and growing spontaneity in travel patterns are seeing UK holidaymakers staying at home looking to enjoy the great outdoors.”

In addition, the growing awareness of the necessity for sustainable, responsible travel means a “staycation” is one of the best ways to lower an individual’s carbon footprint.

Pitchup.com may very well be one of the the most comprehensive websites in its sector, with 5,000 campsites and parks featured including hundreds of hard-to-find sites. The website has an easy-to-use search facility and contains information on accommodation near hundreds of beaches, nine National Parks, 17 World Heritage Sites and major UK festivals.

The site allows visitors to make specific searches according to their needs. The site’s comprehensive listings make it possible, for example, to search for a campsite in South-West England that is near a beach and a National Park, allows dogs, offers disabled facilities and wifi, and has sailing nearby (in this case, Porlock Caravan Park in Somerset). Users can also search for any post code and see local sites. Alternatively, users can search for what they want to do first and the site will show the accommodation options nearby.

Users can also search for places to go such as beaches and walking routes, as well as UK events and festivals via a direct link to Ticketmaster and eFestivals.

“The massive growth of the market kicks the doors wide open for this website,” continued Yates. “It helps visitors find exactly what they want if considering a UK- or Ireland-based camping or caravanning holiday – whether it’s a family holiday, activity holiday with friends or a trip to one of the UK’s music festivals. We want Pitchup.com to be as helpful as possible to our users.”

Dan Yates continues: “The site promises to be the portal for the camping and caravanning world as we positively encourage feedback and collaboration by our users about a whole range of accommodation and things to do in the great British countryside.”

Over 700 sites listed on Pitchup.com are open all the year round, and the site is preparing autumn and winter campaigns that highlight the UK’s natural charms, working in partnership with leading brands.