It’s a fact: camping is not for everyone. After all, one person’s wholesome adventure is almost certainly somebody else's nightmare — a terror heightened by leaking canvas, midnight trudges to a toilet block, and bugs. It’s enough to send anyone on a mad dash to the nearest hotel. And if you’re in this camp (pardon the pun), you certainly are not alone. But if you, in theory, like the idea of the great outdoors — but just aren’t willing to forego certain creature comforts — glamping is probably more your scene.
With summer fast approaching and our thoughts turning to how best to spend our well-earned time off, it’s the right moment to delve into what's driving this seemingly unstoppable trend. And so it’s goodbye tangled guy lines, so long leaky canvas — we’re off to spend our summer glamping in comfort and style.
A Continuously Growing Trend with Mass Appeal
A combination of the words ‘camping’ and ‘glamour' — and the merging of these two opposing concepts — glamping has grown in popularity over the last decade or so. As its own subset of the travel market, it has a wide appeal, taking in consumers across multiple demographics and in multiple geographies. Whether you want to sleep in a chic, Scandinavian-style wood-panelled pod with a full kitchen, a quaint Gypsy caravan, a Mongolian-style yurt with high-end linen, or a refurbed lifeboat with a luxury bathroom, glamping ensures that everyone can find an experience that suits their tastes. It also plays into the more recent demand for staycations and a travel experience that actively incorporates sustainability.
Indeed, research from within both the U.S. and EMEA markets indicates that demand for glamping is only set to keep on growing. According to this insight, the value of the European glamping market is predicted to reach $1.72 (€1.58) billion by 2028 while the U.S. market is set to hit $1.3 billion by 2029. More than a passing phenomenon, glamping is a lucrative corner of the international travel market.
Glamping Across the Continents
As such, destinations around the globe are keenly aware of the popularity of glamping and its appeal to such a wide demographic of travellers. Here at Simpleview, many of our European clients are actively highlighting all that their destinations have to offer eager glampers.
In Norway, travellers can have a year-round glamping experience in their choice of accommodation — be it a glass igloo, a cocoon-like pod suspended from a tree, or a luxury teepee high in the Arctic Circle.
For a less extreme take, Northern Ireland offers a round-up of accommodation options including seaside, countryside, and lakeside stays (think views of the Mourne Mountains, glimpses of the Gortin Lakes, marshmallows, hot tubs, etc.).
Or, for a truly unique experience, try glamping in the Lake District, where you can luxuriate in a glamping pod, yurt, or teepee or sink into subterranean comfort deep in the privacy of your very own hobbit hole. Or, if that’s not really your thing, rise to the occasion in your very own treehouse, all while enjoying luxury-level comfort and amenities.
Among the North American destinations served by Simpleview, our Western clients are notably using this trend to enable visitors to make the most of their striking environments. For something truly unique, Visit Tucson has linked up with a glamping rental service that enables travellers to glamp in-situ at a desert oasis location or — for something a bit different — travellers can simply select their preferred location and all of their accommodation (think bell tents and vintage campers) is delivered right to their favoured spot.
Up in the mountains and forests of Utah Valley, Explore Utah Valley offers visitors the chance to camp in comfort under towering pines and the opportunity — if they come at just the right time of year — to emerge from within the pristine folds of their bell tents to pastel carpets of wildflowers.
If romance is on the cards, New Mexico is the place for a glamping getaway. Here, glampers can enjoy gourmet meals, hot springs, plus luxury beds in accommodation that ranges from vintage RVs to safari-style tents, all set in the beauty of the Land of Enchantment.
Traditional camping? That’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But the unstoppable rise of glamping — and the willingness of so many destinations to spotlight their appeal to would-be glampers — proves that it’s not necessary to sacrifice comfort and style to enjoy the great outdoors this summer.
