The new Italian traveller is highly digitalised and prefers holidays in Italy, where he can happily combine nature and comfort, relaxation and discovery of the territory, physical activity and quality food. This is the identikit traced by the Research of the Digital Innovation in Tourism Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano with the support, as partner, of Club del Sole, an open-air tourism specialist. Francesco Giondi, CEO of Club del Sole, said: “We are happy to support this year’s Research of the Digital Innovation in Tourism Observatory del Politecnico di Milano as a partner, as some very interesting evidence emerges for us operators in the sector, first and foremost the general upturn in travel, but also and above all the growing interest in our market, that of open-air tourism“.
The results of the research
The strong desire for freedom and contact with nature combined with the search for authenticity has brought to light an important fact: a complete alignment between the needs of the broader tourism market and the trend of open-air travel. Never before has the upswing in travel coincided with the search for sustainable places, where holidays can be spent discovering as yet undiscovered places, immersed in nature, just like contemporary campsites and open-air villages, far removed from the outdated idea one had of them until recently. Those of today are facilities with all the comforts and services, just like the tourist village of the future that Club del Sole is planning.
The Club del Sole village of the future
The first examples of this new concept promoted by Club del Sole are the villages of Riccione, Rimini and Punta Marina, where the values expressed are flexibility, safety, proximity, attention to nature and technological innovation. The village of the future stems from three strategic lines of company development: development and innovation of the services offered; controlled growth in terms of offer and product to further consolidate the leadership of the Italian open-air holiday; finally, the third line envisages continuing to invest in the company and the product to be increasingly in line with market demands regarding environmental, ecological, and social sustainability.
Glamping: the glamorous campsite
According to data from the Observatory, only 18% of those interviewed are familiar with the term ‘glamping‘, which combines the camping experience with the search for luxury and exclusivity. In short, it seems that the largest part of the public that loves the open-air seeks the combination of comfort-nature and does not express particular interest in the “glamorous” side of the village. Club del Sole has taken a closer look at this data in practice, conducting a survey on three “premium” villages – Pini Beach Village, Romagna Family Village, and Rimini Family Camping Village – where services and quality of stay are being upgraded. The results were very positive, recording high customer satisfaction for the three villages.
Online search grows
The research shows that 53% of users used only the digital channel when searching for information and to be inspired in their travel choices, while only 7% used the offline channel and 31% used both. Regarding open-air tourism, the primary focus for the Club del Sole group, out of the total sample of respondents, 21% of users said they used social networks and video platforms for inspiration.
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