Is Glamping the new Camping? (part 1 of 2)

How do the best glampers in the world determine the best places to go Glamping?

TARA HILL COUNTY, Ireland - April 19, 2022 - PRLog -- We live in an age where anywhere is reachable and with the right amount of resources or disposable income anything is possible. With that comes a never ending plethora of places to stay ranging from authentic stone wall castles to designer tree houses. Whether an engineering marvel, or a bespoke ramshackle shed, there seems to be an endless cascade of possibilities when it comes to your next big stay.

No matter the experiences that hotels can offer, the average traveler or holiday seeker inevitably reaches a saturation point when it all starts to feel the same. A fatigue tends to kick in when people become overly aware that they are embarking on a check-in to yet another hotel. No matter the scale or opulence, the convention is still the same. The lobby, the check-in, the lift, the corridors, the room card click on entry, the endless boxed rooms with a generic welcome on the TV screen, it all gets to feeling a tad like Groundhog Day.

The core of any growing industry is supply and demand - what do people want and where do they want it. In the case of places of stay, jaded guests are looking for something else, and that has produced a parabolic rise in the Glamping Industry.

According to Wikipedia, Glamping (first appearing around 2005) is a portmanteau of glamorous and camping and describes a style of camping with services not usually associated with traditional camping.

The typical association to the term glamping is camp sites adorned with extravagant yurts with pathways leading to communal services and the use of such extras as hot tubs. People stay at these sites on the basis that they can rock up and chill out without the need to wrestle tents or squeeze into onsite caravans. It's no longer sleeping bags on wet floors in smelly cramped conditions but instead full size beds with mattresses and somewhere to plug in your phone.

But why is Glamping becoming increasingly popular?
The answer seems to be partly because people want to re-engage with nature more than ever.
In a very technologically driven world where our everyday activities revolve around hyper-engagement, multi-tasking, and compound stresses, we seek simplicity. We naturally gravitate towards comfort and humans respond incredibly well to natural elements.

According to Grand View Research, the global glamping market was valued at 2.35B USD in 2021 growing at an average rate of 10% from 2022 to 2030. Why? Well, maybe it's no coincidence that aspirational lifestyles layered in filters are strewn across social media platforms. The hazy dawn meadow in soft lens, the selfie on the mountain top, the carefully orchestrated hammock shot. We are drawn to these images that permeate freedom and simple desires to get away from the noise and grind and claim a slice of nature as our own, even for a moment.

Escaping back to Nature
Of course, we cannot forget the part that COVID has played in all of this. Multiple lockdowns created social prisons for the masses. We were all cocooned in our own domiciles for way too long, and whilst the foray into home improvements gave some initial relief, it wasn't long before our nomadic neurons began to twitch. We saw images of nature reclaiming the world whilst we were locked away and we wanted even more to eject ourselves from the urban sprawl and go get some. The reality is, although we all wanted to get back to traveling and holidays, there has been a significant reluctance to be in close contact and proximity with one another in restricted environments such as hotels, or shared facilities. The nightmare airport scenarios has also meant that 62% of travelers considered taking holidays within driving distance in 2021.

The quest for outdoor experiences exploded along with the premiums. Why not spend on luxurious memories whilst getting your al fresco fix. Oh, and there are extra kudos points of course if the accommodation uses sustainable materials and energy resources such as solar and wind. For the true aficionados though, it's all about going off grid, where you cannot be pinged or buzzed and can instead focus on truly 'connecting' without modern distraction.

Data from Kampgrounds of America shows that Millennials and Gen X (18 - 32, and 33 - 50 respectively) are the predominant glampers with the Grand View Research study citing that 50% of glampers prefer to have WIFI in their accommodation. Traditional campsites are waning with over 1,000 having closed in France alone over the last 20 years. The burgeoning requirement for the finer things is on the rise, and so many campsites are now having to reinvest and redesign or face being left behind as relics of yesteryear.

The pursuit of happiness….and wellness
Mental health benefits topped a 2021 offerings list based on the Wellable Employee Wellness Industry Report. The biggest investment companies have made is in stress management/resilience (81%), mindfulness/meditation (69%), and mental health (88%).

Since the pandemic, remote working has flourished with many organizations moving forward with a decentralized workforce or hybrid model. This flexibility has caused a huge rethink in terms of what employers offer their staff with regards to perks and benefits. The onsite cafeteria and gym has diminished in favor of remote options such as virtual learning and subsidized home office setups. There is a very real need to be able to assess and support remote employee wellbeing. Whilst freelance digital nomads can continually refresh their surroundings if they choose to do so, employees may well be 100% based from home or adopt a hybrid model of home and office. With burnout and stress the predominant factors in attrition, Wellness is on the rise and companies recognize the need to gift employees better remote options. The report shows that a whopping 94% of companies agree to the expansion of their virtual wellness services with 51% agreeing to a health and wellness allowance.

Read Part 2 next month and learn what to consider when choosing a place to glamp!

Contact
Matthew Tropp
mtropp@blackthornpublishing.com
8186261191
Photos: (Click photo to enlarge)



Read Full Story - Is Glamping the new Camping? (part 1 of 2) | More news from this source

Press release distribution by PRLog