Campingnavigator starts new view on glamping through “ALA”

Campingnavigator continues to grow and to better manage the online campaigns of campsites interested in appearing on its portal, it has hired two new people specialized in the tourism marketing sector. The growth is strongly connected to the introduction of the new portals like Gardameer.nl, Toscana.nl, Sardinie.nl, Sicilie.nl and more, with a strong focus on glamping.nl. Northern campings, as well as the campings in the south of Europe have excelled in developing glamping in the last years. Thanks to the privileged perspective of Campingnavigator on the sector, they have tried to identify what makes a truly glamorous outdoor holiday. The result is a new acronym: ALA, meaning Accommodation, Location and Activity.

“Campingnavigator grows and of course we are very pleased with that,” said Peter Doornekamp, ​​owner of Campingnavigator. “We are very happy with how the Glamping.nl portal, a point of reference for Dutch lovers of this new camping philosophy, is consolidating its position on the market. We have always been alongside campers and now we are working to also respond to the wishes of the new generation of outdoor tourists”.

Campingnavigator, a tourism publisher with over 35 years of experience, was created to promote outdoor accommodation through guides and services. Today, campingnavigator.com is an international site that records over 1.4 million visitors on an annual basis. The portal manages a database of around one hundred thousand Dutch campers and has 8.000 campsites on its pages. The goal is to offer tourists exactly what they need to plan the vacation they dream of. Through facts, figures and inspiration.

The site that promotes the world of glamping

Glamping.nl hosts accommodation facilities that offer glamping experiences and want to attract customers from the Netherlands. To date, the site hosts content that concerns over 900 destinations in 18 European countries and promotes glamping in all its aspects. According to the experts at Campingnavigator, the glamping sector is now ready for a new view on glamping.

Initially, it was mainly the accommodations offered by the camping villages that made an outdoor holiday glamorous. “We see a large number of manufacturers of safari tents, mobile homes and luxury lodges that guarantee a truly luxurious experience,” explains Doornekamp. “Today, however, we observe that safari tents, a true icon of early glamping, have spread on a large scale. Almost every camping offers some kind of luxury accommodation. We see all sorts of diversity there. As well as a whole series of proposals that contribute to making a camping holiday very comfortable. The bathrooms of the mobile homes are equipped with everything a guest could wish for and the accommodations do not lack special attractions like private pools on the terraces, cooking islands in the kitchen or hot tubs, to relax while listening to the sounds of nature. Over time however, luxury, as is normal, becomes a commodity. So, the time has come to innovate again and find new proposals to offer customers”.

Accommodations, Locations and Activities for a more glamping experience

Glamping.nl is growing in numbers and visibility and for further development in the service to their visitors, the people at Campingnavigator have asked themselves what makes an outdoor holiday truly glamorous. And they have coined a new acronym to explain it: ALA, that stands for Accommodation, Location, and Activity.

First and foremost are the Accommodations, which must be luxurious, spacious, and complete with everything necessary in terms of structure and equipment. Secondly, what makes the difference is the Location, in terms of region and country, but also what surrounds the tourist village. Art cities such as Pisa or Florence, breathtaking landscapeswith sea, lake or mountain views, and uncontaminated nature are essential, but so is the structure of the campsite: let’s talk about how the mobile homes and tents are located, the additional services, the green areas and how much privacy can be guaranteed to guests.

Last point, the Activities. A holiday is not glamorous if guests cannot choose from a series of engaging and excitingactivities. Tastings of typical products, zip line adventures, a guided tour of the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Uffizi Gallery, the possibility of taking a tour of the vineyards on a Vespa and so on. Especially the new type of client wants to show not only the accommodation to their family and friends at home via TikTok, Instagram of Facebook, but especially the events and adventures they participate in and enjoy! “Look at how much fun we have!”, “Look at where we are, where we stay!”… Those are ever more important messages. With the approach of ALA at glamping.nl, Campingnavigator invites the sector to involve in these questions.

 A request for all the operators in the sector

Campingnavigator is committed to telling tourists about events and experiences through its blogs and magazines and to promoting the evolution of glamping. Operators will be able to publish more and more information on the glamping.nl website, to highlight the positional and experiential aspect of outdoor holidays.

In the meantime, what can glamping operators do to take luxury outdoor holidays to the next evolutionary step in terms of Accommodations, Locations and Activities? According to Campingnavigator, countries like Italy really have a lot to offer, but it is important that accommodation managers understand how to best enhance the treasures they can count on. “Actually it is quite easy,” says Doornekamp, “Just make sure everything is literally WOW when you talk about glamping. I wanted to make that the acronym first, but that did not fit… So now let’s just say: ALA must be WOW!”.