Farm vacations and country stays have increased by 45 percent over the past three years, with the public increasingly taking advantage of âstaysâ.
Farm Stay, an organization that lists farms offering agritourism, has reported a 45% increase in bookings since 2018, the biggest increase in its 38-year history.
He revealed that rural escapes are most popular among the 25-34 age group, millennial couples and young families.
Glamping has grown in popularity, with almost as many people looking for it as bed and breakfasts, up more than 3,000 searches, from 58,891 in 2018-19 to 62,023 in 2020-2021.
However, Farm Stay notes that this may be due to Covid-19 restrictions on B&B accommodation over the past year.
There was also a 58% increase in the number of people looking for a “large group”, that is, 12 people and more.
Indoor pools and hot tubs are a new âmust haveâ, with research increasing 45% and 35% respectively over the past three years.
Kay Barriball, President of Farm Stay, said: âWe see this as a trend that will become even more pronounced after the pandemic, both in terms of what our members have to offer and what customers are looking for while on vacation. “
Farm Stay was originally founded as the UK’s first non-profit farmer-owned consortium to promote the country’s agro-tourism industry.
The organization has now grown to offer the public more than 420 farm stays and countryside vacations.