A few weeks ago, we informed you about the most important trends in the first part of our article on trends and challenges in the camping industry (read part 1 here). Today, we will look at other trends mentioned in our survey and name what our experts believe are the biggest challenges facing the industry.
Further trends
- Microcamping
Legal alternative to wild camping – a growing trend in the DACH region, where people camp on private land with a limited number of pitches until the site is legally categorised as a campsite. - Vanlife movement / rooftop tents
PiNCAMP Managing Director Uwe Frers emphasises that ‘motorhomes are becoming increasingly popular, especially among younger campers’. The increasing importance of micro-camping also goes hand in hand with this statement. - Real peace and quiet (‘Calm-cation’)
Campers are looking for quiet holidays in beautiful, remote locations. They are looking for so-called ‘Calm-Cations’, for real mental relaxation, mindful, high-quality and close to nature. - Water activities
For example, water slides for children, wellness for adults: a trend that seems to be losing none of its appeal for campers of all ages. - Camping for adults only
It is currently still a niche market, but one with steadily growing demand. Due to demographic change in most source markets, more and more ‘best agers’ will be travelling without children in the coming years. - Campsites with an adventurous character
For younger generations and those who are young at heart, camping is not just about the campsite, but also about the surroundings. Offering optional excursions to nearby attractions is a great opportunity for campsites. - Travelling to cooler or safer destinations / out of peak season
The ongoing climate change is affecting campsites in regions where it gets very hot in high summer. Campsites in both hotter and cooler regions can attract guests with appropriate offers, for example with shade provided by plants, more water services or indoor offers. - Year-round camping
Josipa Cvelić Bonifačić, PhD, says: ‘Particularly noteworthy is the trend towards “year-round camping”, a concept that was practically non-existent in Croatia a decade ago, but now has dozens of facilities. This trend is closely linked to the growth of wellness and wellness offers as well as indoor activities.’
Challenges and risks for the camping industry
Consider the potential threats and challenges for the coming camping seasons as discussed by camping industry experts:
Challenge 1: Climate change and sustainability
Climate change is arguably the biggest future challenge for the camping industry. Sustainable solutions are essential to minimise the impact on tourism and nature.
Alberto Granzoto
President FAITA-FederCamping
Climate change is also a very important issue because it can have an impact on changing holiday habits and the ability to deal with new risks.
Laura Toso Andreu
Manager | Girona Campsite Association
One of the main challenges is to ensure sustainability and environmental responsibility. This includes introducing environmentally friendly practices, minimising consumption (especially of water, as is the case in our region) and motivating campers to behave in an environmentally friendly way.
Georg Giner
Giner Freizeit & Tourismus GmbH
…A sustainable energy supply through alternative energy sources will also become increasingly important.
Cristiano Bozzetti
Sales and Marketing Manager | CrippaConcept
If ‘Innovation to Zero’ is the guiding principle in 2050, we will transform our entire approach to ensure that our activities are sustainable, circular and in line with the global environmental targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050.
Challenge 2: Lack of skilled labour
100% of all experts who took part in the survey agree that the shortage of skilled labour is a major challenge for the camping and tourism industry.
Frank Schaal
Geschäftsführer – BVCD e.V.
As in all industries, good and secure jobs must be offered to prevent the shortage of skilled labour.
Georg Giner
Giner Freizeit & Tourismus GmbH
I think that the skills shortage will continue to be the defining issue in 2024.
Alberto Granzoto
President FAITA-FederCamping
Certainly, the issue of employees is becoming increasingly critical and requires a very important change in approach. For example, the need to change our activities from seasonal to annual in order to provide a better life project for our employees.
Laura Toso Andreu
Manager | Girona Campsite Association
… Another important problem is the lack of qualified labour, especially in seasonal operations, which leads to difficulties in recruiting and retaining employees.
Challenge 3: Economic and political situation in Europe
When asked to rate the impact of this situation on the 2024 tourism season on a scale of 1 to 10, the average number of concerns was 4.4, which equates to just under 50 %. This brings us to the following topic:
Challenge 4: Inflation and high costs
Most survey participants agree that the best solution is to constantly monitor the market and apply dynamic pricing.
Conclusion
Dynamic changes offer opportunities and pose challenges for successful camping entrepreneurs. Uwe Frers provides an outlook:
Uwe Frers
CEO PiNCAMP GmbH
Sustainability, regionality, demographic change, workation, off-season holidays, digitalisation and design – these important trends and guest expectations will continue to grow. At the same time, the challenges are becoming greater, particularly due to the shortage of skilled labour, climate change and dynamic political and economic developments. Campsites that specifically address the trends and respond to the challenges will have a competitive advantage.