MORUYA, Australia, Oct. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hipcamp, the world's largest provider of outdoor stays, says, as the end of lockdowns across the country draws close, Australians appear to be planning on staying locally this Christmas.
The business has seen a boom since the middle of 2020, with four times the number of campers booking and three times the number of property owners hosting on Hipcamp Australia.
Because of the growth of Hipcamp Australia over the last 18 months it has decided to return $51,000 of JobKeeper payments. The sum will fully pay back the Australian government for its JobKeeper contributions to the company during 2020.
"We are incredibly grateful to be in a position to pay back our JobKeeper subsidy," said James Woodford, Hipcamp Australia director. "After last year's dark days and the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bookings due to COVID, Hipcamp went on to experience incredible growth as people turned to outdoor stays as a safe way to spend time with their loved ones. Looking to summer, domestic tourism is booming and driving record-breaking bookings. For that reason, giving this subsidy back is absolutely the right thing for us to do."
"Farmers are a hugely important part of the Hipcamp Host community and some of our most important partners," added Woodford. "Because COVID-19 has devastated so much of Australia's agritourism economy, we feel it is the right thing that our JobKeeper payments go back to the Australian community, especially farmers."
What's driving success? The staycation boom.
As lockdowns lift, nearly 8 million Australians who traveled internationally last year will be looking to holiday domestically instead.
These staycationers are helping to drive record-setting summer bookings for Hipcamp, which offers a range of unique stays like tent camping, caravan parks, cabins, and glamping - everywhere from national parks to privately-owned blueberry farms.
So far, expected demand for Hipcamp stays is up over 40% this time last year across the country.
About Hipcamp
Founded in 2013, Hipcamp is the world's largest provider of outdoor stays. It gives a growing community of good-natured people the opportunity to list, discover, and book unique outdoor experiences. By connecting people with the land and each other, Hipcamp works to support those who care about nature. The fully remote company has listings in Australia, the United States, and Canada, and to date has helped people spend more than 4 million nights under the stars. When listing on Hipcamp, farmers, vintners, and other landowners generate new revenue streams to conserve their land and keep it wild.
Media contact: Pointman News Creation for Hipcamp, patrick@pointmannc.com; James Ho General Manager, Hipcamp Australia james.ho@hipcamp.com; Social: @HipcampAU
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