First Camp: the Scandinavian market is recovering and the interest for Northern Europe is growing

The Scandinavian market – Sweden, Denmark and Norway – has more than 2,000 campsites and an annual turnover of 1 billion euros. The size of individual campsites varies from 40-50 pitches to full-scale sites with 600-700 pitches, many cabins and lots of on-site activities. We talked with Johan Söör, CEO of First Camp, the largest Scandinavia’s campsite chain, to better understand that market.

Camping Business: As First Camp, you own and manage 44 campsites in Sweden and Denmark. When did you started and what are your business goals for the next future?

Johan Söör: I joined as CEO in 2018 and it’s been a very exciting journey so far, where we have grown from 23 campsites in 2018 to 44 now, in Sweden and Denmark. We’re now Scandinavia’s largest campsite chain and our plan is to continue to grow by acquiring more campsites. 3 years ago, our online share of bookings was only around 10%, but we have invested a lot in our digital offering and now the online share is approaching 40% and www.firstcamp.se is the largest booking channel for camping in Scandinavia. More and more campers in Scandinavia make their reservations online which makes it important to be part of a larger chain. We will continue to invest in the guest experience and we’re the only player in Scandinavia with a well-developed loyalty program.

Camping Business: How was the business before Covid-19 and how the pandemic has impacted?

Johan Söör: The booking situation in early 2020 was strong, but then Covid-19 started to have an impact in mid-March. In the second quarter our revenues were down approx. 30% vs last year. Revenues have gradually recovered since then – in July we were down 19% and in August things have improved further. We have taken many measures to create a safe environment for our guests at the campsites, and we see that our guests’ expectations on cleaning are even higher than usual.

Camping Business: How the Scandinavian campers’ habits differ (if they) from other European countries?

Johan Söör: Generally, a high share of the Scandinavian population has caravans or motor caravans compared to some other countries, especially caravans. Then there might be nuances between different countries, but generally I think many campers see the same benefits with camping, regardless of where they live.

Camping Business: Is your open air tourism more domestic or foreign?

Johan Söör: In the Swedish camping market around 25% of guests are from other countries, especially Norway, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. We see a clear trend that some campers are coming to Scandinavia instead of going to southern Europe, because of high temperatures.

Camping Business: What about “glamping” in Scandinavia region? Is it a trend like in other European countries?

Johan Söör: It’s not a big part of the market yet, but yes there are some niche products. Then 50% of our business is cabin accommodation, and generally our guests get higher and higher expectations on standard, amenities, etc.

Camping Business: What are you going to expect for the next year?

Johan Söör: I strongly believe that the Scandinavian market will recover in 2021 and get back to normal levels. One needs to be careful about how Covid-19 evolves, but I think many governments understand by now the severe effects on the European economy and the tourism sector of locking down countries and closing borders between European countries. In First Camp we have many exciting things on the agenda for 2021 and the overall market is in an exciting phase right now where more consolidation is likely to happen.

Camping Business: Would you like to add something else?

Johan Söör: I hope even more European campers come to Scandinavia! The nature is stunning and it’s easy to be a tourist here.