According to data from Yescapa, a private motorhome rental platform, there are already 500 confirmed reservations for the summer in Portugal, which translates into 3,500 travel days booked, in addition to 50 reservations made for the last two weekends.
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the plans of many Portuguese, who are now looking for alternatives for their summer holidays. One of these alternatives is now motorhomes with many Portuguese choosing this way of travelling for the first time, based on 78 percent of visitors to the Yescapa website saying that it is the first time that they choose to travel by motorhome.
Yescapa have recorded this year an increase of almost 400% of visits on the site and an increase of 50% of confirmed reservations, when compared with the same period of the previous year. There is also an increase in the number of owners who want to make their motorhomes more profitable. Yescapa now has 600 vehicles registered in Portugal available on its website, while the number was 420 at the end of 2019.
The profile of the Portuguese who have made reservations is mainly families between aged between 35 and 45 years old, with one or two children. The most frequent travel routes are the Costa Vicentina, a roadtrip through the Douro, through Estrada Nacional 2 and Alentejo. There is also a trend for last minute bookings.
“We have come to realise that, over the last few years, motorhomes are increasingly a trend in Portugal. With the period of deflation, we saw a huge increase in demand, especially from the third week of May. We anticipate that the number of reservations will reach 1,550 during the summer ”, says Julie Da Vara, Chief Operating Officer of Yescapa globally. “In addition to being a safe way to travel, motorhome driving can also be a way of boosting local economies and the perfect opportunity to get to know Portugal better”.
That’s a 400% percent increase of non tax paying rentals. So the 20% commission goes to France without Portuguese vat. The owner is then supposed to declare his rental income. We all know how that ends up! Just look at air bnb in the early days. Portugal forced them to make sure people had AL licenses . What about the companies that rent campervans. They pay 23% Iva on each rental staff, premises maintenance etc. Plus the fact that each vehicle must be under 5 years old. I would like to see what happens if individuals launched a platform to rent their cars. With this rise of 400% means a 400% rise in wild camping. Portuguese do not like to pay for campsites the lack of facilities on the west coast is turning it into a campervan ghetto, with toilet paper and rubbish strewn all over the place. There is also a rise of ill sentiment from locals on the west coast with vans having stickers put on them telling them to get the f,ck out of the Algarve. The whole things a mess and the Imt or tourismo de portugal need to regulate this now.
By Pedro from Algarve on 07 Jun 2020, 07:56
Education that's what is needed! Educate those people using the motorhomes about the impact of their actions have on the environment, nature,wildlife, etc
By Antonius Lusitani from UK on 08 Jun 2020, 10:34