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Carry on camping: Owners hope new-found craze for staycations will continue in future

Sector relishes surge in demand from first-time campers, writes Claire O’Mahony

Owners Tuesday and Wes Pollington of Willowbrook Glamping and Hideaways in Roscommon. Photo Brian Farrell

Conor Glennon owner of Summer Glamp in Wexford

Owners Tuesday and Wes Pollington of Willowbrook Glamping and Hideaways in Roscommon. Photo Brian Farrell

Conor Glennon owner of Summer Glamp in Wexford

Owners Tuesday and Wes Pollington of Willowbrook Glamping and Hideaways in Roscommon. Photo Brian Farrell

Claire O’Mahony

July 12 2021 02:30 AM

With international travel still up in the air this summer, more people are opting to camp, glamp and stay in caravans – and campsite owners hope staycationers will carry on camping.

Campsite owners said they noticed the surge in requests for reasonably priced accommodation at home from early on this year and have invested significantly in providing the best kind of facilities possible.

Con Quill, CEO of the Irish Caravan and Camping Council, said there had been a wave of demand since the industry opened on June 2 and the season was quite short, operating mostly through the summer months.

He believes people are opting for camping holidays because the self-contained, outdoor holiday experience is considered a safe option.

Campsites are following Covid guidelines including social distancing, wearing of face masks, and practicing hand hygiene. Depending on the size of the area, some sites have had to reduce their pitches.

Glengarriff Caravan and Camping Park has reduced its pitches from 90 to 60. Vaccinations are having a big impact as people are now more confident to travel, but visitors still appreciate having the comfort of more space to follow social distancing guidelines.

The Aran Islands have always been a popular destination for travellers. Frankie Moran of Aran Islands Camping and Glamping said people who once visited the island as children on school trips were now returning with their own families. She said 99pc of the visitors who were glamping were doing so for the first time.

Frankie said in the past there was always a big push to get bookings towards the end of the season in late August, but this year they were fully booked to the end of September – which is well past the end of the traditional season – and bookings were coming in very fast for next year too.

Lisa Collins of Cong Camping, Glamping and Caravan Park said they were very thankful to staycationers as she had seen more domestic travellers visiting the campsite. She is hoping that the industry will continue to improve when they can welcome back international travellers.

Marie Doherty of Adare Camping and Caravan Park said the weekends were busier than ever: “Every weekend is like a bank holiday weekend” in terms of demand, while 50pc of their campers are new to camping.

A big increase in the number of first-time campers and glampers is great for the industry. According to many campsite owners, first-time campers are sometimes a bit lost at the beginning.

Bringing the wrong equipment, or tents that are too large are among the problems experienced by newcomers. Wes Pollington of Willowbrook Glamping and Hideaways in Roscommon said people often arrived with the wrong gear and they brought kettles that did not work. Younger generations have taken to camping over the last two years.

Sean O’Meara of Stonepark Lodge in Tipperary said groups of families were meeting up to holiday together. They would not have been able to see each other through lockdowns and they were now enjoying the freedom and independence a camping holiday can offer. He said there was a huge focus on adventure and outdoor activities such as kayaking.

And this year Ireland is getting its first glamping pop-up. Opening at Slaney Manor in Barntown, Co Wexford, it will run for eight weeks from July 2.

Conor Glennon said Summer Glamp would bring the VIP festival glamping vibe. Midweek is set aside for families with activities for children and a 10pm noise curfew, while the festival-like atmosphere at the weekend is for the adults only.

The entirely outdoor experience offers food trucks, an outdoor cinema, and an all-important charging area for devices.

While the options for camping and glamping in Ireland are impressive, it is not plain sailing for the camping industry. There may be an increase in demand, but campsites are also operating at reduced capacity, insurance costs have risen and the season has been condensed.

Con Quill said that while the reduction of Vat was very welcome, rising insurance costs were still a problem.

New cleaning routines are challenging to keep on top of and some campsites have also had to increase refuse collections or add more bins to cope with the added pressure.

Lisa Collins said with indoor dining still closed, many people were bringing food on-site with them, but she said people were good at managing their own rubbish.

Wild camping has a bigger issue with rubbish being left behind which causes a problem for local authorities.

It is hoped the many people who are investing in equipment and enjoying staycations in campsites this year will be return campers in future seasons.

Carry on camping: Owners hope new-found craze for staycations will continue in future

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