Tiliguerta Glamping & Camping Village, a 4-star camping village, is located in Capo Ferrato, a locality of Muravera, in the Southeast of Sardinia. Immersed in a forest of eucalyptus and pine trees, the campsite covers an area of 10 hectares and overlooks the renowned Costa Rei beach. Completely “pet friendly”, it offers 36 superior and deluxe bungalows, 10 comfort line mobile homes and suites, as well as 200 well-shaded pitches, from 90 to 150 square meters, for motorhomes, tents and caravans. In total it can accommodate about 500 guests.
Camping Business interviewed the owner Laura Deiana, who told the story of Tiliguerta Glamping & Camping Village, the values and peculiarities that make it a “green” campsite, while offering all the comforts and services of a luxury hotel.
Camping Business: What’s your story?
Laura Deiana: I already owned 50% of this structure, thanks to my family. Purchased and built by my father (1989-90), it was the first 4-star campsite in Sardinia. I wanted to bring my experience elsewhere in Sardegna and redevelop the structure with a view to glamping. I had to face problems of almost ingrained obsolescence. Without capital, I tried to be creative and invested in the people who could support me in the project.
I found a partner who shared my vision and bought mobile homes, reinvesting the profits every year in a precise masterplan. Tiliguerta is a name that comes from some focus groups, a very precise choice. Tiliguerta Podarcis is a living fossil, a small lizard that lives only in Sardinia and Corsica. The logo, on the other hand, is the stylization of a Nuragic village photographed from above.
Camping Business: How does your communication work, how is your world changed in bookings and hotel management? And what is the mix of customers?
Laura Deiana: The bulk of the change does not come from the disappearance of important players in the supply chain, such as agencies and tour operators. The most important changes come from the pandemic. We need to talk about a pre and post-Covid-19 period. Before, the games, although they changed quickly, were easily identifiable. As a small business owner, I could rely on agencies and tour operators. Then came the “electronic windows” and it seemed, after all, that little had changed. Visibility and prestige were enough to achieve our seasonal goals.
In the pre-pandemic we had up to 80% of foreign customers and in recent seasons, this was also true in July and August. Italian tourists prevailed only in the weeks of August. Otherwise they were German-speaking customers first and foremost, then the French, with the Eastern countries growing. The large part of the customers, however, came directly, without sector and supply chain intermediaries. Our idea has always been to be as independent as possible from the supply chain. Since the pandemic, however, things have changed dramatically and faster, for example, than in the hotel sector. Covid-19 has undermined all certainty and now we are wondering what the trends will be and how to resist the tsunami that hits the economy and our market.
Camping Business: What can be done within the sector to intercept trends?
Laura Deiana: I have always traveled at least 3 months a year, visiting certain excellences at a world level to be declined, later, in my Sardinian context. Now it can no longer be done, and it is difficult to understand how to evolve. I would like an open discussion by the trade associations on certain issues. I therefore wanted to make a personal journey, trying to understand which direction to take. I rediscovered ideas and needs, I drew from them various opportunities for thinking and evaluations. Once the physical renovations concluded, I wondered what our guests’ other needs were. I referred to the target of our customers and I realized that we do not have a particular one, apart from the concrete lover of nature, obviously a bit wild, as in Sardinia it is getting lost. A rediscovery of oneself after the lockdowns and the constriction of houses and cities, with limited spaces and breath.
We have tried to offer some activities of contact with nature, from horse riding on a walk with expert instructors to boat excursions and trekking. Informal, exciting experiences, to return to regain possession of freedom, above all mental. Here we abolish the dress code and titles: contact with nature gives everyone identical and liberating experiences. Our structure, through the choice of details, large and small, has ensured us a returning clientele, including foreign ones. Our natural environments and our installations, the care of the furniture and outdoor furnishings, guarantee us the appreciation and loyalty of customers looking for a high level of quality.
Camping Business: When did you embrace the pet friendly aspect and how do you make pet owners and non-pet owners coexist?
Laura Deiana: We started 10 years ago from an apparently trivial consideration, noting the exponential growth of pets in a big city like Milan. From that moment on, I decided that in my company I would always welcome the animals of employees and guests. Mine was not an economic choice, but one of life and passion. We were among the first structures to offer some specific services: sanitation of dedicated spaces, cleaning and tidiness, swimming pool for dogs, dog beach dedicated to animals and owners (even external guests), with floating games, educator, veterinary expert in aquatics for help them to overcome the fears of water, and prevention of any problems, thanks also to a canine educator fixed in the structure. With us, the guest’s dog is free to circulate anywhere. Time has proved us right. In our structure, everything that makes beauty and relationships is welcome, like animals! Those who do not have pets, on the other hand, know our pet friendly attitude and come to us with a positive attitude towards them.
Alberto Granzotto – FAITA Federcamping