Glamping Industry News

GLOBAL GLAMPING MARKET WILL EXPAND $1.9 BILLION BY 2025

The ‘pandemic’ boost for outdoor holidays will continue to grow, according to research and industry experts.

A new report titled “Global Glamping Market 2021-2025” recently released by reportlinker.com claims that our sector is due to grow in value by $1901.20 million between 2021 and 2025, progressing at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 14.03% during the forecast period. According to the report, this boost in the glamping sector is driven by “growth in adventure tourism and increasing participation in outdoor recreational activities.”

Meanwhile, Travel Weekly (travelweekly.com) also conducted interviews with significant figures in the glamping sector regarding the forecasted boom. Toby O’Rourke, CEO of the Kampgrounds of America (koa.com) network of private campgrounds, said the company has seen an “explosion” in bookings that continues to defy their expectations.

“We expected a slowdown as children returned to school and adults returned to offices in the fall but were surprised by continued growth,” O’Rourke told the publication, adding that post-Labor Day business was up 17% year over year and digital nomads are also providing a valuable new income stream meaning that WiFi is more important than ever. Companies offering glamping experiences believed it would be hard to keep up the rapid growth, but the sector’s upward trend has continued, and more amenity-rich camping products are coming to market to meet demand. Outdoor travel companies say enhanced camping, or “glamping,” either with additional amenities or sites with unique lodging or characteristics, is especially popular. As the outdoor travel market continues to expand, companies are increasingly convinced the growth is durable.

RVShare (rvshare.com) CEO, Jon Gray, says, “As we head into 2022, many are expecting another big year. During the pandemic, we saw people turn to domestic tourism and they found they had a better time than expected. We saw airfares come back, we saw hotels come back and we did not see any material slowdown in the outdoor travel business. In fact, we saw it accelerate.”

HipCamp (hipcamp.com) founder and CEO Alyssa Ravasio reflected upon this growth, ”This is a continuation of a really big, long-term paradigm shift. I think you’re seeing consumers move away, hopefully, from wanting to consume so many items and move toward having meaningful, unique, memorable experiences. And the outdoor travel industry is positioned beautifully as that continues.

Source:

1. https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/global-glamping-market-expected-grow-162700159.html 2. https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Camping-glamping-sector-builds-beyond-pandemic-popularity

CHINA IS ALL ABOARD THE GLAMPING TREND

Glamping holidays have become the newest trend in China, according to a newly released report showing that the volume of searches for “Camping Activities” increased eightfold in 2021.

During the recent three-day Chinese New Year holiday, one island glamping site attracted flocks of camping enthusiasts and novice campers.

One holidaymaker was interviewed at the camp and said, ’Glamping has become a bit of a hot topic since 2020. It’s very well suited to city residents as they can basically drive to where they want to stay. It’s different from traditional camping trips which see people go further in to the mountains.’ According to one of China’s leading online travel agencies, trip.com, posts about “camping” and “eating and camping in the wild” had quadrupled compared with the same period last year.

Lately, the glamping trend hasn’t just proven beneficial for tour operators, but also for new businesses external of the travel industry - think restaurants with a new clientele to cater for.

Glamping holidays are now considered one of the major vacation choices of the post-80s and 90s generations. Sheng Hao, co-founder of boutique travel agency Wanna Travel (wannatravelshanghai.com), told Sixth Tone (sixthtone.com) that while camping is more about serving functional needs in an outdoor environment, glamping has become “a product and experience somewhere between high-end hotels and rustic luxury lifestyle.”

“Young people think it’s fashionable,” he added.

However, it doesn’t seem to be just a fad; according to business data platform Tianyancha (tianyancha.com), over 19,000 camping-related businesses, such as campsites and camping equipment vendors, were founded since September 2020 - which is three times more than in the previous three years.

Morning Glamping

Source:

1. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-01-06/Glamping-becomes-new-vacation-fad-in-China-16BNopxxzNK/index.html 2. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008625/chinese-travelers-embrace-the-glamor-and-glitz-of-glamping

TWO ANTHROPOD BLERIOT PLUS MODELS INSTALLED IN THE LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK

On a cold, snowy day in early January 2022, the first of two Bleriot Plus models were delivered and installed at Black Beck Holiday Park, near Ulverston in the Southern Lake District. For park operator, Partingtons, who own seven parks across the Fylde, Lake District and North of England, this is their first installation of luxury glamping pods, a move away from traditional lodges and static caravans.

‘We are the first Holiday Park in the Lake District to offer luxury glamping Anthropods and we can’t wait to welcome our first customers this February,’ said Lisa Ripley, Partingtons Holiday Park Manager. ‘These two new additions will offer the perfect glamping experience for those customers wishing to re-connect with nature but keep those luxury modern touches!’

‘These latest Bleriot Plus 7.2 metre length models feature all the latest developments and refinements that make our Anthropods so popular,’ said Rik Currie, Anthropod CEO and Head of Design. ‘They combine LPG gas for heating and cooking plus electrics for lighting and phone charging. We have included for the first time, heated seating in the exterior porch/viewing area complemented with a fold-down drinks table,’

In addition, the four berth on-grid Bleriot Plus comes with a full wet room with shower, flushing toilet, heated towel rail and hand basin, kitchen with hob, cooker and fridge, Bluetooth speakers, media area and plenty of storage, ensuring civilized, warm accommodation whatever the weather.

The Changing Face of Glamping

The pandemic has accelerated an already growing staycation market in the UK, but consumers are now seeking new, quality experiences in outdoor accommodation that do not compromise creature comforts and all year around availability.

‘Any time of the year Is a good time to take break; site owners are looking to extend their seasons and install products that have a long sustainable life and can realise a fast return on their investment,’ said Douglas Adamson, Anthropods Chairman. ‘Our pods meet these market demands with their revolutionary shape, green credentials and trademark registered, leg design, that enables our pods to be located on sloping and uneven terrain. ‘We are also seeing greater demand for offgrid configurations and new developments in technology for waste treatment and green power sources are making these a realistic alternative.’

SUSTAINABLE ACCOMMODATION BOOKING PLATFORM CLOSES €1.5M IN FUNDING

Oslo-based nature travel startup, Campanyon (campanyon.com), has raised more than €1.5 million (NOK 15.5 million) in funding for the goal to make nature accessible to all travellers. Their accommodation booking platform is of the belief that incredible adventures start with local, sustainable, authentic, and easy travel opportunities, including glamping.

The announcement was made less than a year after the travel tech startup closed a €499,000 (NOK 5 million) seed round and less than two years after Campanyon was formed.

Schibsted Ventures (schibsted.com) has become the largest external investor in Campanyon, and joins existing investors such as Eirik Frøyland Ribe (tisegroup. com), Even Heggernes (nabobil.no), Trond Riber Knudsen, Odd Reidar Øie, Aleksander Gamme, Jan Grønbech (former Google Norway country manager), Stratel (stratel.no) and Startuplab (startuplab.no) in investing in the company. The investment manager of Schibsted Ventures, Christian Horn-Hanssen, concurs, saying: “There is a growing market for sustainable tourism with proximity to good nature experiences. There is a broad agreement on whether these are trends we know will be even stronger in the years to come, and Schibsted Ventures is of course pleased to be early in a platform like this.”

Campanyon’s digital marketplace enables campers and adventurers to explore new destinations and book a range of nature travel experiences, such as camping, glamping, hammocks, cabin rentals, motorhome parks and farms. Both travellers and hosts are actively encouraged to interact before the trip and share tips and knowledge about how to get the most out of the experience and protect the environment. In just two years, the startup has expanded into 16 countries, attracted over 400 hosts and created 900 listings. Campanyon already claims to have reached several thousand users and is aiming to hit 100,000 users in 2022.

Co-founder Alexander Raknes says, “Campanyon is primed to offer a new travel proposition across Europe and globally, given the increasing awareness of nature travel and the potential for rapid growth in the future.” He continues, “Many have opened their eyes to camping, outdoor life and various types of farm tourism in recent years, and this market has enormous potential. Think of all those who sit on a gem, but who do not quite know how to organise a rental.”

Campanyon’s newly developed app also launched in January 2022, to help them reach even more traveller demographics across the continent.

Their goal is to continue growing their community and offer more local and sustainable tourism opportunities, and plans to use the latest investment to fund resources for marketing, sales and development in both new and existing markets.

Campanyon

SG BLOCKS ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE EXPANSION INTO RV AND GLAMPING INDUSTRY

SG Blocks (sgblocks.com) are manufacturers of modular structures and have been selected by HTR Investors (htrinvestors.com) for full-suite engineering and architectural consulting services to create RV and glamping structures.

According to a recent press release, these units will be constructed to then be delivered to various campgrounds throughout the U.S, with a contract for approximately 150 units. HTR Investors is a real estate investment company, founded with the goal to expand within the RV and camping industries.

“We’re pleased to be working with HTR Investors on its exciting endeavours into the creative RV, camping and glamping space,” says SG Blocks Chairman and CEO Paul Galvin. “This collaboration is a fantastic use of our technology and we anticipate an innovative and fruitful working relationship.” HTR Managing Partner, Minh Tran, says, “SG Blocks has developed a unique and scalable product that we feel fits well with our internal goals towards sustainability and low impact development, and that supports and embraces the communities we engage.”

The initial campground locations will be focused in such places as Moab (Utah), Estes Park (Colorado), the Berkshires (Massachusetts), the NY Adirondacks, Egg Harbour (Wisconsin) and Kerrville (Texas). The units will be constructed at SG ECHO’s plant in Durant. “We knew from our initial consultation with HTR Investors that their vision of interactive, unique, experiential properties that are sustainable and nomadic in nature aligned with ours.” explains Perry Ludy, sales and business development consultant for SG Blocks. She continues, “With this, these initial selected locations are only growing in popularity, and we’re pleased to be a part of that.”

Adirondack Mountains

GLAMPING INNOVATIONS WINS INNOVATION DESIGN OF THE YEAR AWARD

Glamping Innovations, founded by Sara Gladstone in July of 2020, was recently declared winner of the Farm Business Innovation Show’s “Innovation Design of the Year Award 2021”.

Farm Business Innovation Award

The Innovation Design of the Year Award aims to, celebrate the design of pods, cabins, lodges and all accommodation structural designs which are transforming the industry following the staycation boom within the UK.

The Glamping Innovations line-up originally included the Glamtainer, glamping accommodation in the form of an extendable shipping container described as ‘a penthouse in a box’, and the Panoramic Sauna, a selfcontained sauna unit shaped like a barrel with a huge Panoramic window. Since then, there have been a number of new accommodation types added along with some exciting business developments.

Firstly, a deal was agreed with Kerry Roy, founder of Camp Katur and Cerchio Del Desiderio, to collaborate for sole distribution rights of Glamping Innovations products in Italy. Shortly after, Innovative North Yorkshire based Anthropods, designers and manufacturers of the Bleriot range of glamping pods and micro-dwellings, agreed terms with Glamping Innovations to act as UK sales agents for Anthropods. Having grown incredibly quickly, the list of accommodation units available from Glamping Innovations now also includes the Panorama tent and dome, the Arcade, the Anthropod, the Omnipod and safari lodges.

Speaking to International Glamping Business about the award, founder of Glamping Innovations Sara Gladstone said, “We’re incredibly happy, this is a massive achievement for us as such a new company.”

To find out more about Glamping Innovations, visit their website at glampinginnovations.co.uk.

Glamping Innovations