Camping specialist ACSI claims that 2024 was the ‘best camping year ever’ after it reported a 39 per cent increase in campsite bookings compared to the previous year. Online searches for campsites by European campers were also up around 15 per cent.

ACSI managing director, Ramon van Reine, said: “All details are available online and in our apps, yet last year we sold a record number of almost 775,000 guides, in 13 languages. Add to that more than 18.5 million searches from campers across Europe, a record in camping bookings and we look back on a camping year the likes of which we have never experienced in our 60-year history.”

Within this record-breaking year, the number of searches by Dutch campers increased by more than 10 per cent. Those campers tended to stick to popular destinations such as France, Germany, and Italy – but the data also showed a huge increase in interest in the developing camping tourism markets of Albania and Montenegro (+3,358 per cent and +3,481 per cent respectively).

The most popular search destinations for European campers excluding those from the Netherlands were France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

Another trend highlighted by ACSI is the increase in camping during the low season.

“In the middle of summer, all campsites are overcrowded and many are looking for alternatives outside the high season, but in the sun,” said Ramon van Reine.

“Last year, for instance, we recorded almost 2.5 times as many reservations for Spain as in 2023, and Portugal was also on the rise. We also see that full use is being made of our CampingCard ACSI discount card, which allows for extra cheap camping in low season.”

The growth trend shows no signs of slowing, as ACSI also said that over twice as many reservations have already been made for camping holidays in 2025 than at this time a year ago.

ACSI has been producing international camping guides since 1965 and currently provides information for more than 10,000 campsites across Europe.