According to a poll of 3,237 people carried out for travel insurer LV=, 17% of Brits considered and went on a camping or caravan holiday in 2008, compared with 30% this year.

Research among campsites also found that advanced bookings are up 27% year-on-year, with Cornwall, the Lake District and Devon the most popular destinations.

The majority of those planning a camping or caravan holiday said cost was the primary motivator. A tent, sleeping bag and groundsheet can cost as little as £32, while a campsite pitch with full facilities costs about £25 per night during the summer.

On average, campers plan to spend £450 on their trip this year, which equates to an estimated injection of £6.1bn into the UK tourist industry.

More than a quarter of those planning a camping trip (27%) want to pitch their tents off the beaten track and 13% of ‘wild campers’ wrongly believe they can camp wherever they like.

However, there is no legal right for people to camp wherever they like and landowners have the right to move them on, warns LV=.