Waiting for the opening of European campsites, tourists do not give up the dream of an open air holiday

In this period of great uncertainty and high hopes, ACSI conducted a survey at European level that involved over 10,000 European campers. Realized through the Eurocampings.eu and CampingCard.com websites, newsletters and social media, the survey focused on the intentions of those who love to travel and take holidays in the open air.

Of the 10,208 respondents, 43% own a caravan and 51% own a motorhome. Among these people, 35% said they had booked one or more campsites for 2020. Although 27% of them canceled their booking, 61% still intend to go on vacation, while only 10% intend to give up.

Of those who have not booked, however, about 9% claims that they will no longer leave for the open air holiday, while 47% are considering a program change compared to the original plans. Obviously, the most popular change concerns the postponement of the departure, so the preferences move from August onwards.

The most worrying figure concerns the destinations, where Italy – most of all ever – is losing ground. Other countries that seem destined to suffer are Spain and France, while Germany and the Netherlands are gaining points.

Finally, ACSI has probed the moods of campers with regards to the possibility that campsites or travel agencies offer vouchers instead of a cash refund if they are unable to offer hospitality in the booked period. Putting together those who have no doubt, those who still agree and those who have a neutral position, we arrive at 78% of the respondents, a sign that this could be a good solution in many cases.

ACSI then opened an observatory to report in which European countries the camps are open and to indicate the gradually relaxation of the restrictions. It should be remembered that at the moment international borders are mostly closed, if not for business reasons or for emergencies, and that a generalized reopening is expected around June 15th.

Campsites are currently closed until an undefined date in Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and Hungary. In Austria they think about reopening from May 29th, while in Belgium they speak about June 8th, in France for late May or early June (but depending on the areas), in Greece only from July, in the Czech Republic from May 25th and in Switzerland since June 15th.

Among the countries that already allow the use of campsites are Denmark (but only for those who are equipped with a bathroom: the common areas, including toilets, are closed), Croatia (we wrote about in recent days), the Luxembourg and Holland (with the same limitations as Denmark), Poland and Sweden, where attention must be paid to distances.

In Germany the situation is more complex, with some regions where campsites are already open and others that are waiting. The idea is that all structures can be reopened by the end of this month. In Norway, tourists are allowed to reach the holiday resorts, but there are still no specific rules for campsites, while in Spain the accommodation facilities of the areas where Coronavirus is not widespread are already open.

In short, Europe is now a leopard spot and planning a holiday outside national borders is still complicated. Within a few weeks it is hoped that the situation will clear up, but until then it is better to evaluate travel within your country.