Camping surge helps holiday firm

Travel specialist Holidaybreak has seen a rush of late bookings for camping trips help prop up group performance in a tough economic climate.

The group, which owns school trips businesses PGL, said yesterday that its Eurocamp and Keycamp businesses saw strong demand towards the end of the five months to 13 August from British and Dutch holidaymakers.

However, Eurocamp and Keycamp, which offer self-catering mobile homes and tents at some 200 camp sites across France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Greece, still saw overall sales in the period dip 2 per cent.

Overall, Holidaybreak reported a 4 per cent drop in sales as its education, adventure and hotel breaks businesses all suffered at the hands of a spending squeeze.

The company, which is being sold to upmarket tour operator Cox & Kings for £312 million, saw education sales ease 1 per cent.

The “Arab Spring” dented its adventure sales, which include its Explore! brand, as the turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa meant intake fell 3 per cent.

The impact of weak household budgets was felt most in its hotel breaks arm, which includes the Superbreak brand, as sales slid 10 per cent.

But chief executive Martin Davies said the late surge in camping bookings had kept the group on track.

“We continue to deliver a satisfying performance despite the tough economic environment,” he added. “Particularly pleasing is the late demand for bookings at our camping division. We remain confident of performing in line with expectations.”