Europe’s largest outdoor accommodation specialist Pitchup.com has reported the strongest year to date for farm bookings on its website.
Pitchup.com, which is this year celebrating its 10th anniversary and represents 464 farms across the UK, took over 66,222 bookings on farm sites alone over the past year, an annual increase of more than 25%. And one of their successes is Mains Farm in the Eden Valley, Cumbria.
This means that the average UK farm site is receiving 183 bookings per year, generating an average revenue of £12,422.*
Commenting on the growth, Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com says: “As we head towards Brexit, farmers are being told that they need to be flexible and plan ahead, yet not even the politicians know what’s around the corner. Farms are looking at new ways to generate extra income and the outdoor accommodation sector is one of the simplest and most financially viable options, with high success rates.
“As an example, one of our working dairy farms took 989 bookings and nearly £100,000 in revenue over the past year. Another picturesque wild camping site in Hampshire, offering just a toilet and drinking water in terms of facilities, recently took 101 bookings in its first month on Pitchup.com, bringing in almost £3,500 in revenue. Given that average Farm Business Income (FBI) was £56,500 in England in 2017/2018**, this is a real opportunity for farmers to invigorate their business and reap the rewards diversification brings.”
“Parts of the farming industry have struggled in recent years and 62% have now embraced diversification*** to sustain their agricultural businesses. Of the remaining farms, a fifth are planning to diversify. Indeed, at Pitchup.com, we have seen a 43% increase in farm site listings over the past year alone.
“Many farmers’ main asset is their vast swathes of land, much of which can lie unused. We are encouraging farmers to use the space for creating camping, caravanning and glamping sites. It’s relatively inexpensive to set up a basic site – planning permission and licences are not always required – and the returns are immediate. Running of a farm-based campsite is relatively straightforward and by working with us many farms could see their income rise dramatically.”
“We’re also using our members’ own stories to share their experiences in a meaningful way to fellow farmers,” says Dan, “like that of the Pickthall family at Mains Farm in Cumbria.”
Robert is a former dairy farmer who turned to Pitchup.com to supplement bookings previously taken through his own website. Tapping into Pitchup.com’s far greater audience and adopting the user-friendly online booking system, he credits it with bringing in “a large number of new customers”, estimating that 50% of all bookings now come through the platform.
To find out more about running a campsite or caravan park visit www.pitchup.com/how-start-campsite-caravan-park/ or, to get started, call 0208 434 7444 or visit www.pitchup.com/join/ and please tell them you read about them on cumbria24.com.
*Based on year to 27th October 2018. Average figures based on mean sites bookable during year
** Farm Accounts England 2017-2018 – https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/817129/fbs-farmaccountsengland-15jul19.pdf
*** NFU Mutual survey 2018, https://www.nfumutual.co.uk/farming/farming-diversification
****GB Tourism Survey 2018 – https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/gb_all_trip_purposes_2018.pdf
