Even if it doesn’t get much fuller again until May, many people like to spend their time on the campsite over Easter – but that depends on one crucial point.
At the usual start of the season on German campsites at Easter, many people spontaneously decide to take a short break. “Easter is traditionally a very spontaneous story. Not much is booked in advance,” said Christian Günther, Managing Director of the Federal Association of the Camping Industry (BVCD), in Berlin of the German Press Agency.
The occupancy of the places is mainly dependent on the weather. In regions where rain is forecast or the nights are still very cold, Günther believes that demand will probably be lower.
Experience has shown that it only gets really full from May when it gets warmer. The time around Pentecost and Ascension Day is particularly in demand. But even at Easter, the majority of campsites are already open. “The campers are now waking up from hibernation,” said Günther. Above all, operators in regions with nearby leisure activities should already have a fairly good utilization – for example on the North and Baltic Seas or on Lake Constance.
Around 40 million overnight stays on campsites in 2022
With a view to this year’s season, the association’s managing director expects a similar success as in 2022. The industry counted around 40 million overnight stays last year – so more people than ever before stayed at German campsites. “We assume that the numbers will be confirmed this year,” said Günther. And: “If we have a good weather year, it may even be that we exceed the numbers.”
According to Günther, prices at some campsites could rise by up to ten percent because of the increased energy costs. Many operators had to renegotiate their electricity contracts last fall and sometimes had to accept prices that were twice as high. So far, however, this has not been reflected in bookings for camping holidays, emphasized Günther. (dpa)