Jane E. Fraser

Trend watch: the new budget accommodation January 20, 2012

Home owners in Britain and other parts of Europe are renting out their gardens as campsites for travellers on a budget. Campinmygarden.com lists properties ranging from urban areas to country manors, with gardens able to be rented for up to 28 days.

“With high household debt … the concept provides extra financial support to cash-strapped home owners, while offering holidaymakers [a] cheap alternative,” World Travel Market 2011′s Global Trends Report says. ”There are 350 gardens listed on Campinmygarden.com, from the UK to Romania. The site is mainly an urban phenomenon, bringing home farm stays to the city.”

The report says the key target markets for backyard camping are Generation Z (teenagers and tweens) and baby boomers. ”The rent-a-garden appeals to travellers who wish to experience the local community and go back to traditional and modest forms of accommodation, ” it says.

The concept is expected to get a boost from the 2012 London Olympic Games this year, with the International Olympic Committee taking up about 40 per cent of available hotel rooms and hotels reportedly charging up to five times the normal rate for the Olympic period.

This article is an excerpt from Jane E. Fraser’s weekly travel column in The Sun Herald, Sydney.