For the leisure industry, spring is largely dominated by short holiday periods. Anyone looking at the search and booking figures for these periods in 2026 will see that consumers are becoming increasingly conscious about planning their days off around Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost. Consumers are searching online increasingly specifically for particular date combinations to create a maximum holiday feeling with a minimum number of days off. This is evident from an analysis by Booking Experts.
The holiday park market is more dynamic than ever in 2026. While one period got off to a slow start due to an early calendar date, a sudden change in weather elsewhere caused a major last-minute run. Standard patterns are giving way to weather dependency, cultural differences between the Dutch and Germans, and specific accommodation preferences.
What striking trends and shifts do we see in this spring's data? We dive into the figures period by period and give you a unique insight into current search and booking behavior.
The holiday strategy: a closer look at short vacation periods
Around short holiday periods, consumers no longer simply look for a 'long weekend'. They react extremely alertly to the calendar and the current weather forecast.
Easter: early on the calendar, late peak in bookings
Because Easter fell considerably earlier this year than in 2025, reservations were initially slow to pick up. This makes sense: early in the year, there is less certainty regarding good weather. While the booking trend did pick up slightly earlier due to the early date, the actual growth only gained momentum late with last-minute bookings. Partly thanks to good weather forecasts, last-minute bookings did increase at many holiday parks and campsites, although last year's peak was not matched.
The booking figures show that Friday was by far the most popular arrival day, with a stay of 3 nights proving to be the standard. Notably, many Dutch people specifically chose a stay from Friday to Monday, rather than the traditional Friday to Tuesday. Although holiday homes were slightly more popular than camping spots, the difference between them was minimal.
Easter holidays: longer stays and a preference for camping
Around Easter, our eastern neighbors enjoyed a longer Easter holiday. Their booking trend showed the same picture as the Dutch market: as the holiday period drew closer, bookings increased steadily.
German guests made optimal use of their extra days off by booking longer stays. The Thursday before Easter was the absolute favorite arrival day (with a 4-night stay), although a large proportion of guests also arrived on the Tuesday after Easter. Midweeks, full weeks, or even longer stays were very popular. The major difference compared to the Dutch market? Among German guests, camping pitches were significantly more popular than holiday homes.
Ascension Day: early bookers and weather-dependent shifts
Ascension Day presented an interesting contrast: although the majority of bookings consisted of early bookings (90+ days in advance), the real influx only started very late, or failed to materialize at all for some parks. Whereas Ascension Day is traditionally a true camping weekend, we saw a level playing field among the Dutch this year: camping pitches and holiday homes were equally popular. This was presumably due to the disappointing weather. Among the Germans, however, the camping pitch remained the number one choice.
While consumers initially primarily searched for stays from Thursday to Sunday, practice ultimately proved to be more flexible. Although most guests arrived on Wednesday for a 4-night stay, a 3-night stay generally turned out to be the most booked option.
Pentecost: crazy weather led to a sprint
The data from Pentecost show a clear trend. The weather forecasts were very good, and that translated directly into the figures: last-minute bookings increased incredibly rapidly, resulting in significantly better booking figures than last year.
Friday was by far the favorite arrival day here, with a stay of 3 nights. Whereas this used to be a typical camping period, often combined with Ascension Day when the caravan was allowed to remain, this year the Dutch are also largely opting for a holiday home. German guests are once again choosing campsites en masse for Pentecost.
Flexibility as the key: avoid the 'no results' wall
The most important lesson from search and booking behavior in 2026? Rigid arrival and departure days are disastrous for your conversion. If a guest searches for a specific date combination and your system is fixed to the traditional dates for short holiday periods, the guest will see zero results. The guest *does* want to come, but you are showing a blank page.
By flexibly aligning the arrival and departure days in the booking system with the top 3 most searched combinations per weekend, you prevent unnecessary loss of revenue:
| Period | Top 3 most popular search & book combinations |
| Easter | 1. Thursday – Monday |
| 2. Friday – Monday | |
| 3. Friday – Tuesday | |
| Ascension | 1. Wednesday – Sunday |
| 2. Thursday – Sunday | |
| 3. Thursday – Monday | |
| Pentecost | 1. Friday – Monday |
| 2. Friday – Tuesday | |
| 3. Saturday – Monday |
Smart conversion tip: the late checkout
What stands out in 2026 is that guests often book up to and including their day off (for example, Friday through Monday), rather than up to and including the following day. Because check-out time at many holiday parks and campsites is often early in the morning, you miss out on part of the experience. Capitalize on this by proactively offering a late check-out . Guests are happy to pay a little extra for this, so they can quietly enjoy the park and the surrounding area all day long on their day off on Monday or Sunday.
Conclusion: the right price, the right date, and the right moment
Online behavior regarding short holiday periods in 2026 shows that guests have become not only more flexible but also more strategic in their choices. Flexible arrival and departure options should already be the standard, but the focus must also be on a smart pricing and booking strategy. The key here is to entice early bookers by offering certainty, while continuously optimizing the price for weather-dependent last-minute bookers. By continuously managing this, using a dynamic pricing tool or managing it yourself, you always offer the guest the right price at the right time.
Thanks to (author of this article): Booking Experts – They offer a very comprehensive package for holiday park bookings, but also the necessary tools to improve your marketing.