Suffolk is well placed to cater for a growing trend in holidays that get back to nature and create ‘real experiences’ for families, tourism bosses have said.

Although they avoid using ‘green’ terminology to market holidays, the wealth of rural activities in the county and an increasing range of sustainable and eco-campsites are now a key part of what is on offer.

The importance of campers and those looking for a holiday with a negligible carbon footprint to the region’s tourism industry was reflected last year in a national newspaper campaign based at readers in London.

This week, one ‘off-grid’ sustainable campsite reported that it has already received a number of bookings from people planning to cycle to Suffolk from the capital this year.

Keith Brown, chief executive for Visit East Anglia, said: “People do think about their carbon footprint when they go away, absolutely. It’s about product availability linked in with key messages anyway.

“People are looking to rebalance their lives, get back in touch with local things rather than manufactured experiences.”

“In Suffolk I think we are uniquely placed. The experiences are easy to reach, but people have the opportunity to bond back with nature and enjoy an environment which they might not have where they live.”

Mr Brown said the wealth of camping options available – including so-called glamping in shepherd huts, yurts, wooden pods, and more traditional pitches – combined with comparatively low rainfall were also behind Suffolk’s burgeoning reputation with holidaymakers.

Kath Shearer, owner of Ling’s Meadow in Hepworth, said although they were only opening for their second season many people were interested in staying somewhere sustainable.

“I think we’ve actually had people who have come specifically for a campsite where they are doing their bit by going on holiday. We get an awful lot of people coming here because Suffolk is so good for cycling.

“We’ve got quite a few people this year coming from London on their bikes, using us as a stop off point and will tour round.”