Many of us love our jobs, and many of us simply don’t. So if you’ve always wondered how to set up a campsite business, or deluxe camping, glamorous, luxurious, cool camping or glamping business site, then there are many opportunities out there just for you. All you need is a little business know-how, an imagination, some courage, a business plan to discover your path and some glamping business essentials. So if you want to leave the day job behind and move on to something else that really lights your fire, here’s how you can decide what’s right for you.
Luxury or luxe camping is not just about yurts, tipis and safari tents. It has now become as big as our imaginations and is fast becoming one of the most intriguing genres of alternative tourism, and one of the most exciting new businesses to get involved in.
Glamping sites aim to melt into the landscape be as environmentally friendly as possible and yet still provide unique spaces to pamper relax, refresh, regenerate and inspire their visitors. Now they are becoming a refreshing and unique reality if you are setting up a campsite.
Cool camping and glamping holidays are becoming more popular now that families are cutting back on certain luxuries, and with the holiday chaos felt after volcano ash clouds, airport strikes, freak weather and natural disasters, many people are deciding to stay closer to home, or at least to have a greater number of their holidays there.
The buzzword, of course, is camping ‘staycations’. In the UK alone Visit England reported an 11% increase in this type of trip within Great Britain and it has been steadily increasing since then.
The trend of glamorous camping, or glamping, has now emerged and is growing stronger by the day as it’s boosted by media hype. We’ve recently had the likes of the USA’s Justin Bieber and UK’s Amy Childs claiming they want to go glamping, which has set the Internet buzzing much wider than just through the traditional camping market.
These types of headlines get those who have never even thought of camping before wanting to stay in the great outdoors, therefore opening up an untapped market ready for new businesses. Most popular trends always take off when celebrities start to jump on the wagon, so as far as glamping is concerned things are looking to remain strong into the future.
Luxury camping moves away from the traditional roots of the industry by showing that camping can be both stylish as well as functional, and hey… you don’t even have to pitch your own tent if you don’t want to.
There’s always a company out there that will do it for you. All you need to know is who to ask and sit back while they do the rest for you. Glamping is, therefore, making the wilderness accessible to all, including inexperienced campers who have never even pitched a tent or lit a campfire before.
In addition to this, we are also seeing a growing desire for authenticity and genuineness amongst consumers and the business they interact with. This is demonstrated by the growing popularity of local produce markets, farmers markets, organic food, local crafts, Fair Trade, and people generally becoming more earth-friendly and considerate of their surroundings.
Time with family and friends outdoors amongst nature supports this fundamental desire, as does using and supporting small locally based businesses. Currently, both these elements make up the foundations of the niche glamping and cool camping industry, which is possibly one of the reasons why it is seeing such growth at times of financial difficulty.
What deluxe camping has essentially done is made a traditional activity of camping accessible to all, whilst matching the needs of the modern consumer to link only to authentic and genuine businesses. This opens up the size of the market and the potential for future businesses to be started by others wanting to step into this non-traditional camping arena.
So if you’re wondering how you might be able to get involved then all you need to do is get yourself a great idea, a bit of deluxe camping know-how and a strong plan to consider your:
- Great business ideas;
- Business brands and branding elements;
- Fundamental elements of the idea (i.e. what do you need to make it happen);
- How to become a social media guru with great strategies for success;
- How to get a well designed, styled and written website, including branding and professional photography;
- What to do about planning permissions and zoning you will need it;
- How to make sense of procurement and service agreements;
- What you need to do to get good marketing skills;
- Basic office systems you will need, including storage, maintenance, signage, email, stationery, bookkeeping and accounts, public liability coverage, reservations and administration;
- How you can develop a launch plan or re-launch plan to make the most of good PR and set your business plan rolling.
Phew! Yep… we never said it was easy… but it is possible. So are you eager to find out more? Well if you are then we have a real treat for you.
If you are thinking, planning or simply dreaming of jumping onto a new path by opening a new camping business, make sure you check out this article on Inspired Camping and this one on Inspired Courses for more inspirations about starting a glamping business. It is full of information for anyone wondering how to set up a campsite business of their own and turn it into something a bit special.
You can also check out the Glamping Business Podcast over on iTunes. Try out episode 15 for starters, which should get you excited about what’s possible in the industry today.
So now it’s over to you…
What cool camping and glamping businesses have you been tempted to get involved in and what have been your biggest obstacles so far?
