Outdoor accommodation specialist, Pitchup.com has reported a staggering 272% increase in sales year-on-year prompted by the September heatwave, as city dwellers flock to the countryside to enjoy the last of the summer sun.
Birmingham residents have topped the list for spontaneous sunshine-inspired bookings this week, up by 490% compared to this time in 2015, followed by Edinburgh up 371%, and Sheffield up 205% year-on year.
Pitchup.com managing director Dan Yates believes that the last-moment nature of city dwellers’ bookings is benefitting sites outside traditional camping and glamping hotspots, such as the Westcountry.
Yates said: “Unusually, there was only one Westcountry site in the top 10 spots booked over the last few days, with the most commonly booked sites being within an hour or two of major UK cities.”
The top five locations for heatwave escapes include:
Derbyshire
North Yorkshire
Worcestershire
East Anglia
Berkshire
Yates concluded: “Due to the warm weather, our September sales figures were already ahead by 80% but the heatwave had accelerated this growth to 171% by Sunday, 211% on Monday and 272% Tuesday. As the mercury rises, so do our bookings.”
“In addition, mobile bookings are up 459% year on year, accounting for 36% off all bookings, as people increasingly use their smartphones to make impulse purchases, with booking habits more closely linked to external factors such as the weather.”
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