Glamping, also called luxurious camping, is a trend that has stuck around longer than any other camping movement.
Actually, glamping is no longer a trend - it has developed into a really important industry and business model and now is the right time to become interested in it!
It is important to remember that when it comes to the attractiveness of glamping, don't just think about being closer to nature and enjoying a getaway under the stars.
Instead, it's all about the luxurious and effortless feeling of spending time in nature and enjoying the quirky experience of it.
In a nutshell, 5-star luxury and nature come together with glamping, and that's what your customers want to experience.
The recent COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has affected the glamping business as well, but not all is lost.
In this article, we are going to show you the ultimate glamping market guide that will make the start-up of your new glamping business easier to understand and bring you success!
The Basic Elements of Your Business
When it comes to establishing your business, there are a few basic things that you need to consider.
We've covered the main things below with some extra pieces of useful information to help you along the way.
Remember, slowly and surely wins the race, so even though you may be eager to dive in and get started, taking your time is going to be more rewarding - especially as a startup!
Your Glamping Brand
Your business brand is what you are and what you represent if we want to make it simple.
As glamping is a business that revolves around luxury, this means that you need to be mindful of how others perceive your brand and that one of their perceptions is that you can provide a bespoke, luxurious experience.
It is also about the message you plan to send to customers - they want to know what to expect of your business and what they can get by using your services!
The elements that make up your brand are not only your glamping business name, but also the logo, tagline, promotional material, and a well-made website.
All of the above will help you to build trust with your customers and website visitors, as they will see your brand as legitimate and one that is well put together.
It’ll also help you to stand out against your competitors!
Another tip is to think about how your customers, visitors, and readers will feel when they visit your website or think about your brand.
Will they think of it as unique, modern, luxurious, and interesting? Or, will they just brush it off?
Having a brand is like telling a story. You want it to be interesting and to make people come for more, and this should be the ultimate goal of all your branding efforts.
Your Glamping Tagline
Your glamping tagline can be compared to a headline in a newspaper. It’s all about grabbing your customer’s and website visitor’s attention first-time round.
You really have an opportunity to entice in customers here, so keep this in mind when writing your own!
Customers will want to know what you can offer them and why your business should be chosen instead of other options.
A good example is Bell Tent Village’s “Luxurious Camping for Life”, which invites the curious visitor to see what type of luxurious camping can be found on-site.
Your Business Logo
A logo is another important visual element of your brand. It is what people will be able to recognise among other brands even before knowing that it is yours.
However, if you are not creative and do not know how to design, there are many options out there.
There are thousands of amazing graphic designers and by outsourcing this task to somebody with the right skill set you’ll save yourself a headache and get the quality of logo you want.
Your Website’s Domain
Your domain name is also important as it will appear in Google searches and can be attention grabbing based on its design.
A domain is interchangeable with your business’s theme. You should make sure that your brand has a unique theme that is consistent in all aspects.
This includes brand colours used on your website being transferred to other types of marketing and social platforms, for example.
The Environmental Elements of a Glamping Business
What you need to consider after establishing your brand’s identity, logo, and other visual elements that make an impression, is the importance of your glamping company’s environmental impact.
The glamping industry is closely related to sustainable tourism and ecotourism because customers want not only to contribute to environmental conservation but also to enjoy all the different lifestyle benefits that come with outdoor living.
Thinking about the placement of your glamping business can affect the interest in your site - not only in terms of weather and the landscaping but the amenities and local attractions too.
Authenticity and genuineness are essential values for nature enthusiasts and luxury customers who want the best of the best.
Glamping is a climate-friendly activity that allows you to:
- Stay in nature;
- Use sustainable materials;
- Reduce ozone-damaging pollution;
- Avoid processed and packaged food;
- Promote environmental issues.
Some of the benefits that glamping business owners get:
- You can reduce business costs;
- Improve relationships with local businesses;
- Reduce carbon pollution;
- Conserve resources and reduce waste;
- Increase recycling;
- Help to conserve the natural habitat, animals and plants;
- Impact ecotourism in a good way.
How To Make a Glamping Business Eco-Friendly
Save Energy
Invest in energy-efficient lighting and automatic cut-off switches that will reduce the waste of energy.
This means that all the lighting in of the areas and equipment is automatically turned off if not used.
You can also create polite signs to warn customers not to waste lighting and water and track this when you monitor your bills.
Reduce Waste and Increase Recycling
You can easily reduce the consumption of unnecessary materials by recycling materials but also by investing in organic materials that can be upcycled easily.
Support local businesses and farmers by not purchasing plastic packaging. This can help the environment and establish your business known as eco-friendly.
This can also be applied to water use. Make sure to invest in the equipment that focuses on water efficiency.
Do not leave taps running and try to reuse grey water and rainwater for outdoor purposes.
Upgrade your plumbing and draining systems and teach your customers to take care of water by not wasting it too.
Focus on Eco-Friendly Transport
Make your glamping business more eco-friendly by promoting ’green’ transport such as using bikes and walking instead of using cars and motorbikes.
These choices are going to heavily depend on your location of choice and how long the walking routes are and the health of your customers.
Nevertheless, if you deem it appropriate, you can even ban the use of vehicles on your campsite altogether.
Support Local Businesses
As mentioned before, by purchasing organic food and materials from local businesses and farmers you will not only contribute to the environment but help the whole community.
This should give you enough satisfaction and even boost up your brand’s reputation.
Business Planning and Financial Estimates
The financial section of your business might be the most boring or irritating aspect of your planning but it is also essential.
You need to consider everything, especially if you have never started a business like this before.
Here are the expenses that you need to take into account during your business planning:
- Salaries (your own, your employees, insurances);
- Social marketing (website hosting, cloud storage, domain, social media, scheduling tools, accountant, and software);
- Vehicle costs (fuel, insurance, leasing, maintenance);
- Office & site costs (phones, insurances, utilities, maintenances, mortgage costs);
- Other marketing costs (conferences, workshops, social media ads).
Land Development
Many people believe that they can convert any type of land into their glamping campsite but they are wrong.
Besides the suitable and attractive location, you also need to take into account the local permissions (very important if you plan on purchasing instead of leasing), you would not want to purchase a piece of land and only after that realize that you can’t get the permission to build your business on it, would you?
Before purchasing the land keep in mind that you will have to offer:
- Drinking water;
- Drainage;
- Waste disposal/recycling;
- Washing facility & Toilets;
- Parking;
- Restaurant/shop/bar;
- Entertainment area;
- Friendly communal area;
- A place for electric equipment;
- A doctor or transport to the hospital in case of emergency;
- Site security.
The land should have one or more of the following attractions:
- Beach;
- Theme park;
- Popular natural attraction;
- Mountains/Forest;
- Lake/river;
- A place of popular historical interest;
- An interesting town nearby.
After all this, one of the most important thing is to consider permissions:
- Check the rentable value of the land;
- Contact the local land permission expert to review your needs;
- Check the laws of the area and make sure that it is advisable and safe to build there;
- Take into account your financial forecasts;
- Be realistic and try to find out if this business will be able to generate enough funds for you to eventually purchase this land.
To sum up this section, here are some of the questions that you should definitely ask yourself before you decide to purchase or lease a piece of land:
Conclusion
To conclude, we have introduced you to the ultimate glamping market guide that would help you clarify the business plan you will have to create in order to start your glamping business.
Creating your brand’s identity, logo, website, financial forecast, permissions are the biggest aspects of not just creating a glamping business but any business in general.
Make sure that you are realistic and passionate about this business and that it is something you see yourself doing in the next 5-10-20 years. Only then you can focus on business and financial aspects and do not give up on becoming a glamping business owner.
