Camping could be the saviour of village pubs up and down the country, according to booking website Pitchup.com.
The Thames Head Inn, near Cirencester
Its data found that, on average, country pubs that provide camping pitches alongside their traditional food and
drink offering make £14,000 extra per year in pitch bookings alone. Some earn the same again in extra food and drink sales.
“Clearly, when it comes to camping, pitch fees are the most obvious source of new revenue,” said Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com.
“But our data also shows that campers, who tend to be in the holiday mood and don’t have to worry about driving home, spend more per person on both food and drink in the pub than the majority of other customers.
“It’s a double win that can help pub businesses turn a profit, even with soaring energy prices and the other challenges facing the industry.”
One pub that has experienced the benefits of camping first hand is the Thames Head Inn, near Cirencester. Run by husband and wife team Ben and Nicola Lord, last year the business generated £40,000 from 11 pitches. The couple estimate that 95% of their campers also spent money in the pub.
“Having camping pitches has made a massive difference to us,” sid Nicola. “So many guests tell us that they stay with us because of the pub. Adding the camping pitches is the best decision we’ve ever made for the business in 18 years as landlords.”
Dan Yates said that camping s a great fit for pubs with a small pocket of land. The infrastructure needed to set one up was already in place, meaning upfront investment costs were minimal.
He added that because of a recent change to permitted development rights, publicans can now run camp sites for up to 60 days per year without needing to apply for extra planning permission.
“At a time when pubs – particularly rural pubs – are really struggling to stay afloat in an incredibly challenging trading environment, camping is a realistic option to turn a business around, shore up the future, and make it sustainable in the long term.”
