The camping industry is experiencing a good season in 2022, with campers finding their way back to camping sites at home and abroad. But 2022 is still also very turbulent. All kinds of things are happening in Europe and this has an effect on the camping industry. ACSI looks both at this year’s trends and ahead at the coming year, 2023. A camping holiday has probably never been more popular than it is today. Even though the summer peak wasn’t as high as it was in 2021, the total number of people who booked a camping holiday in 2022 was much higher than last year. European holiday camping enthusiasts, especially the Dutch, have rediscovered the international destinations and aren’t afraid to spend more money. That means the average booking amount for accommodation has also risen in comparison to other years.
Camping in low season
Camping during low season also increased in popularity in 2022. Camping specialist ACSI recorded an increase in sales of the CampingCard ACSI. This special discount card gives campers even cheaper rates at thousands of participating campsites outside the main holiday seasons. Campsites that accept the discount card have noticed a significant increase in off-season bookings. The biggest increase was among Dutch, English and French campers. And the number of tourists who are searching for campsites in 2022 on the popular eurocampings.eu website of ACSI is also higher than in previous years.
Glamping versus back to basics
As in recent years, the demand for luxury accommodation in 2022 has remained high. It seems that campers like the option to choose from different accommodation types, such as mobile homes and safari tents. But most people prefer not to stay on campsites that only have permanent holiday homes. Campers prefer a good mix of back-to-basic camping pitches and rental accommodations.
Booking at the last minute
Considering that a greater portion of holidaymakers are camping in 2022, it’s much harder to find a campsite without booking a pitch before leaving home. So, logically, the number of last-minute bookings has also jumped. To prevent the disappointment of missing out, more holidaymakers are reserving a pitch even when going on holidays at the last minute. Furthermore, campers today want flexibility when booking. In other words, it is important for them that they can change or cancel their booking without any hassle. This need arose when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out and simply hasn’t gone away. Dutch travellers prefer to pay for their booking by direct online transfer, called iDEAL in the Netherlands. In fact, this payment method gives a higher conversion rate because the Dutch are more inclined to confirm a booking if they can use iDEAL instead of a credit card.
Looking ahead to 2023
If we look at next year, ACSI sees two factors that are likely to play a major role. The first is the war in Ukraine and the impact it will have on economic confidence. And then there is the rising inflation, a direct result of the war. This means consumers are confronted with a gap in purchasing power, which will undoubtedly affect how people go on a camping holiday, where they travel to and what they do during their holiday.
Rising fuel costs
ACSI expects that the coronavirus restrictions – provided that no new, dangerous variants emerge – will not have a real effect on the 2023 camping season. And the rising fuel prices also don’t seem make that much of a difference. Prices vary considerably in each country and, on the whole, are a relatively small portion of the holiday budget. More people enjoyed their camping holiday abroad in 2022 than they did at home. ACSI expects that camping in other European countries will again be very popular, but anticipates that campers will look more critically at their holiday budget, as well as at pitch or accommodation prices.
Downtrading
Many consumers these days see going on holiday as a basic need. So it’s not very likely that people will cancel their camping trip. But when inflation reduces people’s purchasing power, there is a good chance that they will look for cheaper alternatives to still escape the rat race for a few weeks. We call this phenomenon downtrading. Examples of downtrading are that holidaymakers choose to go on holiday less often, or stay closer to home. On the whole, however, campsites have the advantage of being relatively insensitive to major economic fluctuations and can therefore count on a promising outlook for 2023.
Flexible and for every budget
Ramon van Reine, CEO at ACSI, sees a bright future for the camping industry. “These days, holidaymakers more frequently choose campsites as a holiday destination. The wide variety of camping options and campsites puts camping within reach of every budget. It is often cheaper to travel by your own transport than by plane. That’s why many campers still drive to the campsite on the off chance. If the weather is disappointing or a more beautiful destination is just a bit further, you can quite easily adapt and find another campsite”.
New type of campers
Van Reine expects camping to become even more popular in 2023. “The number of campers has grown explosively since coronavirus broke out in early 2020. What’s more, many people have invested in new a camping vehicle. It’s fair to assume that all those people who bought a new caravan, trailer tent or motorhome will want to keep using it for years to come. Whether that’s on camping sites at home or abroad”.
Excellent response for Camping Vision at SIA Hospitality Design in Rimini