For the 7th consecutive year, the CampingVillage.Marketing project team from Titanka! conducted a targeted survey among those who choose camping villages, with the aim of identifying emerging trends and travel preferences of today’s tourists.
Between January and February 2024, the survey collected over a thousand responses, then compared with those of previous years and processed into a tailor-made report for all those working in the sector. The results of this survey aim to help camping village operators to identify new key elements for the commercial success of their facilities, intercepting growth opportunities, in light of emerging needs and new customer expectations.
What emerged from the 2024 survey?
Taking a small step back first, however, it should be noted that in the analysis of the responses we cannot ignore this fact today: tourist requests for open-air facilities, like never before this year, have exploded well in advance. The volumesof tourist requests in the first two months of the year almost tripled compared to last year. The trend is already known and from year to year we can see how tourists are moving increasingly earlier.
The new 2024 survey also investigated the reason for this new trend, and many other issues regarding the organization of holidays en plein air. Here is a small preview of the report.
Many tourists are flexible on the dates of their stay
To the question “When do you think you will go on holiday?” only 59.7% of those interviewed said they would go in July/August.
Analyzing historical data, a decrease in preferences for the high and very high season emerges, which in recent years had reached peaks of 64.80% in 2023 and 70.20% in 2022. Despite this, the decline in bookings for months of July and August is not balanced by a proportional increase for June and September; rather, greater growth is observed for spring.
Furthermore, 21.30% of tourists declare themselves flexible, ready to evaluate travel periods based on favorable offers and conditions. This suggests that camping village managers have the opportunity to influence customers, guiding them towards periods of greater interest for the facility.
The preference for traveling abroad is increasing
When asked ‘Where will you travel in 2024?” over 87% said they will travel to Italy. However, abroad proves to be a growing choice, recording a +5.2% compared to 2023. However, the preference for abroad is not to the detriment of our nation: in fact, more than 55% of those interviewed declared that they will travel more than once in the next few months.
Seaside destinations at the top of preferences, but the mountains gain 6.6% points
The question “Which destination will you choose?” clarifies that the sea remains at the top of the list of destinations favored by this target. Although in 2024 the greatest growth will be recorded by the mountain destination, which gains 6.6% on 2023.
For this question too, people had the possibility to select multiple options, so although the sea remains absolutely in the lead, there are also good prospects for other destinations such as villages (+4.4% compared to 2023), the lake (+4.3%) and the cities of art (+2.8%).
Tourists confirm that they are moving earlier than in the past
Over 81.4% of those interviewed confirmed this: in recent years they have increasingly anticipated research and requests for quotes for their holidays. From the answers received to the question “Why did you anticipate the organization of your holidays?” various reasons and new booking habits have emerged:
More and more tourists have understood that availability is the key: those who book early find the best place, at the best conditions. In this context, “Early Booking” offers represent a precious opportunity for camping villages. However, it is essential to carefully establish the terms and conditions of such offers, including a maximum limit of available discounted accommodations, clear and precise rules regarding deposits, cancellations, and other contingencies in order to ensure effective and profitable management of reservations.
These data are just a small excerpt from the report with the analysis of the responses to the 2024 CampingVillage.Marketing Survey. To find out more about what potential customers are looking for on their next holiday, you can download the full report with all the answers here.
