Scotland soars to top of charts for outdoor holiday site Pitchup.com

Scotland has for the first time topped the rankings of an outdoor accommodation site’s most popular destinations being booked for next year.

The firm's properties include Whitemoss Lodge in Perthshire. Picture: contributed

Pitchup.com, which offers holiday parks and campsites in the UK, Europe and the Americas, has reported an increase in “far future” bookings for 2021.Founder Dan Yates said: “It’s common sense that staycations are likely to be front of mind at the moment and our figures show intent to book is significantly up.”

The business now has 189 bookings for 2021, which compares to 11 for the same time period last year – representing a 17-fold year-on-year increase. “This either indicates an increase in consumer confidence to book or shows that people are experiencing ‘lockdown cabin fever’ and need something to look forward to,” the online firm said.

Scotland came top at 31 per cent of bookings for next year, overtaking south-west England (27 per cent). Pitchup.com – whose properties include Whitemoss Lodge in Perthshire and Bankhead Shepherd’s Huts in Stirlingshire – said Scotland reacted quickly to the virus, “which has meant it has overall been less affected and offers wilderness”. It said the investment in Don’t Visit Cornwall campaigns could also have played a role.

Bankhead Shepherd's Huts, Blair Drummond. Picture: contributed.

Furthermore, the firm found that Brits are favouring lodges and cabins, and while tent camping has always been a popular choice, touring and motorhomes prove more popular for 2021.

Pitchup.com said in February that its Scottish listings had almost doubled in the past year – with more than 20,000 bookings in 2019.

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