March/April 2021

GLAMPSITES
living. This does not imply that glamping
involves passive relaxation, merely that
glampers are able, for a time, to empty their
head of the multitude of things that swirl
around and instead take time out to dwell
on the one activity or experience that is
immediately in front of them. If that activity
or experience is unusual or eclectic, then
all the better; glampers become immersed
and absorbed.
Swarbrook also says that glamping
experiences are more consequential to
a memorable tourist stay than glamping
space. The implied notion of luxury
is somewhat shapeless and relative
rather than absolute. By this reckoning,
glamping sites providing better than
standard facilities and comfort, along with
great glamping experiences, are likely
to command favourable interest from
prospective glampers. Swarbrook also
suggests that exceptional luxury cannot
substitute for extraordinary experiences.
MILLENNIALS AND THEIR PARENTS
Demographics would suggest that
millennials and their parents, the babyboomers,
make up the majority of
glampers. By their nature, millennials
place importance on experiences and
living life by exploring and interacting with
the world. For their part, baby-boomers
seek to reconnect with nature and to do
those things they were too busy to do in
their younger years. Glamping experiences
are aligned with the perspectives of both
generations, ready packed to go, and
require little or no supplementary outlay or
planning.
While glampers have the option to
take time out and unwind, many are
"active-relaxers" wishing to explore the
countryside and reconnect with rurality.
Numerous glamping sites are positioned
close to sought after leisure activities. This
model has proved to be successful because
it gives access to outdoor activities that are
currently popular such as walking, cycling,
yoga, cooking/dining outdoors, foraging/
bushcraft and partaking a number of other
outdoor pursuits. Because glamping sites
can integrate them seamlessly into their
operations, the energy and flow of any stay
are organic and authentic.
Participation in outdoor activities in
Europe follows regionally specific trends.
In the UK, walking is the most popular
outdoor activity, accounting for 76 per cent
of all outdoor visits (Gordon, Chester, &
Denton, 2015). Significantly for glamping,
participants are most likely to hill-walk or
ramble. As an experience, participants are
equally captivated by the scenery as they
are by the walk itself. Searching for and
travelling to sites where interesting rambles
GETTY IMAGES
“PARTICIPATION IN
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
IN EUROPE FOLLOWS
REGIONALLY SPECIFIC
TRENDS. IN THE UK,
WALKING IS THE MOST
POPULAR OUTDOOR
ACTIVITY, ACCOUNTING
FOR 76 PER CENT OF ALL
OUTDOOR VISITS”
are located becomes a part of the overall
experience. While running, mountain
biking, horse riding, sailing, canoeing,
mountaineering all have a following,
participation is considerably less. However,
specific experiences such as gorge
scrambling and niche cycling are increasing
in popularity (Gordon et al., 2015).
Globally, reconnection with the
land through trails and tracks allows
participants to immerse themselves in
the odyssey, learning or enhancing their
skill and knowledge, gaining a sense of
achievement. For many urbanites, any
participation in rurality, from forays into
nomadic lifestyles through to modern
recreational pursuits, is a novel experience.
Combining this rurality with luxurious
accommodation at the end of each day
enhances its memorability.
CONCLUSION
At first glance, capital outlay, occupancy
rates, daily room rates, and return on
investment appear to provide convincing
evidence that glamping is a solid business
model. More astute investigations reveal
that carrying out financial appraisals
through a hospitality lens is imprudent. It
is clear that success in glamping depends
on being able to answer “What is it that will
draw people to come?”. On a hospitalitybased
approach, if the glamping space
is not superior and the service not better
than alternative accommodations, then the
assumptions used in financial appraisals
become suspect.
For a very few, the glamping space
assures success, however, for most, sites
prove successful because of the empathetic
combination of spaces and experiences.
Indeed, it is the experiences that glampers
crave that makes the assumptions in any
financial analysis valid.
ARTICLE NOTE:
This article is an abbreviated version. The
original can be found at
https://watt.nz/2021/03/glamping-experiencesglampings-magic-ingredient/
REFERENCES
• Gordon, K., Chester, M., & Denton, A. (2015).
Getting Active Outdoors - A Study of Demography,
motivation, Participation and provision in Outdoor
Sport and Recreation in England: Sport England.
• Swarbrooke, J. (2018). The meaning of luxury
in tourism, hospitality and events: Goodfellow
Publishers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Watt is currently a
candidate for doctor of
philosophy at Auckland
University of Technology. An
avid traveller and advocate
for authenticity in travel, Greg’s
research concerns a global study
of glamping spaces and experiences. His
interest stems from an association with
small boutique and community tourism
projects within Vanuatu and New Zealand.
Both countries are blessed with beautiful
landscapes, along with an outdoor
presence. Greg also writes informative
articles about topics, destinations and
social entrepreneurship within tourism at
https://watt.nz
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