New reports have shown that there has been an increase in popularity for self catering and camping holidays in Britain. This is believed to be one of the main reasons why so many hotels in Britain are going bust. According to the accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, 47 hotels in Britain ceased trading during the final three months of last year. This is 28 more than in the third quarter of 2009 and 18 more than in the same quarter of 2008.

During this week, Britain officially came out of the recession with a growth in GDP of just 0.1 percent. PricewaterhouseCoopers said that a number of actors lay behind the growth in insolvencies. This includes a rise in the number of people that are opting for self catering breaks at home and a decline in corporate travel.

David Chubb, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said that the substitution of hotel visits for “staycations” and camping has taken its toll on the hotel industry. The squeeze on consumer spending has been the main force behind the increase in self catering breaks.

A survey that was carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that, last year, there was a 12 percent increase in the number of Britons forgoing an overseas holiday or a stay in a British hotel in favor of a campsite or holiday park. This research has been supported by BDRC Continental, which is a market research agency specializing in tourism, which found that a quarter of those who intend to take a domestic break this year are likely to opt for self catering accommodations.