What is Glamping?

We all know what camping is; a recreational activity of staying outdoors away from home, a fire to enjoy, and being surrounded by lovely nature and fresh air. 

However,  are we all familiar with ‘glamping’? 

Well, glamping is also camping. The term is a combination of ‘glamorous’ and ‘camping’. Since glamping boomed over recent yers, it has grown to be an industry in itself. In fact, according to America Outdoors, ‘Glamping’ was formally added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016!

We could say that glamping is like an evolved and unconventional version of camping. The usual simple tent set-up isn’t seen in glamping. Instead, we’re can be sure to see aesthetically pleasing (resort-like, to be exact) structures that are fixed permanently on a site, ready for people to enjoy throughout the glamping months. 

How Glamping Came About

In traditional camping, it’s not surprising to encounter some annoying stress factors; that hard to set up the tent, the fire that just won’t get started, creepy crawlies invading the space, and more! 

Instead of just relaxing and having fun, it’s very easy for traditional camping to become a stressful experience in itself. 

However, in glamping, all of these stressors are avoided! We’re able to stay in a comfortable space with added luxuries not found in traditional camping. Electricity, Wifi, and even air conditioning too (depending on the glamping site). And, the best part? We’re still to enjoy the outdoors or the wild. It's the best of both worlds! 

Statistics For Glamping 

The U.S glamping market is expected by 2025 is to reach a $4.8 billion revenue with an estimated compound annual growth rate of 12.5% during its forecast period (this is according to a report by Market Watch on Oct. 6 as mentioned in Fox Business). 

A lot of people, especially millennials, are choosing to try glamping. A 2019 study by Cain Consulting Group of Kamprgrounds of America (as mentioned in America Outdoors) discovered that 50% of the millennials that were surveyed have tried glamping or are looking into trying it out soon over the next twelve months!

And, these statistics aren’t exclusive to the U.S, in fact, other countries such as the U.K and Europe are also booming when it comes to the glamping industry. 

By now many new business owners are choosing to venture in the glamping business as well (you wouldn’t be reading this article if you’re not, right?).

3 Tips For Starting A Glamping Business

Below, we’ve shared 3 tips for starting a glamping business to help you out! We’ve compiled these tips based on the similar answers from renowned glamping business owners’ advice as featured in Sarah Riley’s An Owner’s Perspective: What I Wish I’d Known Before Starting My Glamping Business. 

1. Educate yourself before entering the world of Glamping!

There are things we need to know first; like whether the water is shallow or deep. We also need to know if there are sharp stones in it or if there are sharks, crocodiles, and other things that could kill us instantly. Then we must either avoid them or find a solution to them if we really want to get into the water no matter what!

This scenario is the same when it comes to starting a Glamping business (well, applies to all businesses as well). We will be more successful if we have enough information on how to properly run the business!

The best way is to find an adviser familiar with the glamping field to teach you the ropes of handling the business. Those with real experience are definitely the best guides to tell you how to do things right from the start. 

These people have been through the whole rollercoaster of disappointments and successes in the glamping business that you’re about to just enter. 

So, instead of being shocked with the surprises the glamping business brings, you get to expect them already and handle it well (thanks to your adviser, of course) -we can’t go wrong with ‘Knowledge is power’.

2. Budget more than you think you need

When we have just the right amount of money to start a glamping business, we’re not going to feel very secure or settled. It’s better to have more than your budget because you never know what you’ll encounter that will be needing you to shell out more money!

This is what happened to Kerry Roy, owner and founder of Camp Katur in the UK. She shared her experience (as featured in Sarah Riley’s An Owner’s Perspective: What I Wish I’d Known Before Starting My Glamping Business). 

Kerry Roy recounts the time where she had spent more than her original budget in building her second glamping site. She thought that with her small budget, it would do just fine just like how it did for her first site. 

Unfortunately, she was wrong. Well, at least she learned from the experience and even advised, “Definitely have a higher budget in the bag and aim for the project development timeline to take longer than you think. It's better to overestimate than under estimate the duration as you never know what might crop up.” - and we’re definitely taking notes!

3. Invest in marketing and PR

Let’s say, we already have the glamp site ready, it’s stunning, beautiful, and surely, anyone who visits will have a great time (and bring you money)  but that’s only going to happen if you do your public relations and Marketing right. 

In every business, not just in glamping, you have to let the public know about it. Customers don’t just appear like a mystery, they come to avail your business because they’ve heard about it and are interested.

Well, we’re lucky because nowadays, it’s so easy to advertise with the use of social media sites. 

All you need is to put up aesthetically pleasing pictures of your glamp site, add the important details like your address and contact number, and schedule posts regularly. 

Maybe you could also ask your friends on social media to help you share your posts for a bigger reach, or if you have the capacity (and extra money), why not hire influencers too?

Conclusion

So, now that we’ve given you 3 tips on how to start a glamping business, it’s time to put the advice into practice. 

However, we encourage you to explore more yourself! 

Although the glamping business definitely holds great potential in money-making for the long run, it still depends on who’s handling it. 

Starting a business is taking a big risk, it’s either you’ll fail or you’ll succeed. However, you can increase your odds of success if you are knowledgeable, prepared, and able to make wise decisions along the way. 

We wish you the best of luck as you venture the glamping business, glamper!

If you would like to learn more about starting your very own glamping business then contact us here. We welcome any questions you may have and would really love to connect.