Off the back of a year of unknowns for the travel industry, Camplify has collated their top travel predictions for Australians wanting to explore their own country in 2021. From travelling with pets, to booking retro caravans, to a much younger generation of campers.
Camplify CEO, Justin Hales commented: “2020 changed how Australians travel and much of this is reflected in travel trends we predict to see in 2021. We’re seeing such a vast increase in demand for caravan, campervan and motorhome rentals in 2021 already.”
1. Pet-Friendly Holidays
With Aussies travelling domestically only, many are looking for holiday options to include their four legged members of the family. With pet holiday bookings increasing by 193% from 2019 to 2020.
Whilst the majority of pet-friendly trips were with man’s best friend, as requests for holidays with dogs in 2021 have already spiked by 68% YOY, Camplify has also witnessed a 200% increase in guests taking their pet birds on holiday with them!
This trend meant that 42% of new van owners on the Camplify platform listed their vans as pet friendly to accommodate the demand for Australians travelling with their pets and 39% of the vans on the entire platform are listed as pet-friendly.
2. Young Van-treprenuers
Camplify’s van owner community is getting younger each year, with 2020 seeing a 41% increase in people aged 21-30 renting their caravans, motorhomes and campervans on the platform. This shared economy has attracted a number of savvy young entrepreneurs, with this demographic making up 26% of the top 100 campervans on the platform, receiving the most bookings last year.
Many are turning Camplify into their own small businesses, as 13% of ‘van-trepreneurs’ aged 21 – 30 own multiple vans that are leased on Camplify for short term rentals.
3. Vintage Caravans
Retro chic is back and everything old is new again, with 10% of Camplify’s vans built before the 2000s and the platform continues to see increased demand for renovated retro vans, some as old as the 1960s. From retro kombis to fully renovated caravans with full kitchens & a gin bar, there’s something for everyone.
In December of 2020, Camplify saw 154% in vintage van bookings (i.e. vans built before the 1980s) for December compared to December 2019.
With many vintage van owners charging $80 – $150 per night, there’s the potential to earn $4,800 – $9,000 over the summer months alone.
4. Solo Travel
As restrictions continue to impact our ability to travel abroad, more and more people are choosing to hire vans and travel by themselves.
Prior to Christmas the number of bookings for solo travel in the new year was 67% higher when compared to the same period in 2019.
5. The Growth of Off-Peak Travel
With more and more travellers choosing to hit the road, many savvy explorers are hoping to avoid the crowds and save some money by travelling in the off-peak months of February and March.
Prior to Christmas, bookings for February and March were 88% and 65% higher respectively when compared to the same period the previous year.
6. Events on The Road
Government restrictions on events had a noticeable impact on event-related bookings in 2020. Wedding bookings saw a minor decrease of 6%, however, bookings for festivals saw the most significant drop, decreasing 40% compared to 2019.
Conversely, the boom in travel led to a surge in bookings for birthdays (60%) and anniversaries (126%). The largest increase was for honeymoon bookings, which increased by 265% compared to 2019.
Following on from the growth in 2020, honeymoon bookings continue to be the fastest growing category for event related travel in 2021 when compared to the same period the previous year, growing by 171%.
Anniversary (116%) and Birthday (80%) bookings also saw healthy increases, whereas future bookings for festivals (-24.75%) and weddings (-50.86%) in 2021 decreased compared to the previous year.
For more information or to book a van visit: www.camplify.com.au
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