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Summary of our market study
The total camping market in France is estimated at over €3.4 billion.
The French camping market suffered a significant impact due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with sales falling by over 75% in April and May 2020. Despite this, there has been a notable recovery with substantial levels of activity in the summer of 2021.
The pandemic has also changed the customer profile in favor of domestic campers and catalyzed the motorhome market with a 60% increase in rentals in July-August 2020.
Upscale camping continues to drive demand. The number of 5-star sites has risen by 5.9% and 4-star sites by 3.1% in 2021, while the number of 1-star sites has fallen by 15.9%.
Large groups and chains continue to expand through acquisitions, such as European Camping Group's takeover of 3 5-star campsites in May 2022.
Upward trends in the French camping market
The French camping market is experiencing substantial growth, and is moving upmarket. With a focus on comfort and a range of services, high-end camping has seen a sharp increase in demand. The sector has recorded over 100 million overnight stays to September 2021, proof of a solid recovery, especially after a drop in activity in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Top-of-the-range campsites, which include 4 and 5-star establishments, not only boast higher occupancy rates (44% for 4-star and around 50% for 5-star establishments, compared with just overtoiles vs. just over 23% for non-rated campsites), but also longer stays, with the average length of stay between 6 and 6.6 nights for 5-star campsites vs. just over 3 nights for non-rated campsites.
French campers accounted for over two-thirds of the overall market share. Among international campers, visitors from the Netherlands, Germany and England make up the majority.
A large proportion of the French population have been camping at least once in their lives, with a greater presence among older people and higher socio-professional categories.
Demand in the camping sector is marked by its seasonal nature. High season corresponds to the summer months, particularly July and August.
Improved comfort, an increase in the number of equipped pitches, the introduction of facilities such as jacuzzis, and a general move upmarket in services have led to a general increase in prices in the sector.
Another notable trend is the emergence of "glamping" or glamorous camping, which offers an atypical combination of luxury and nature, with tree houses and waterside chalets.
Luxury camping operators in France
- Les Castels Les Castels stands out as a unique group known for its high-end camping experiences. They combine the rustic charm of camping with the grandeur of historic sites. The group operates a chain of 4- and 5-star campsites, often located around castles and manor houses, offering guests a royal outdoor stay.
- VacanceSelect, formerly known as Vacalians, is a dynamic entity in the luxury camping market, attracting a wide range of holidaymakers with its diversified offers.
- Sunêlia: a group with a solid position in the 4- and 5-star segment of the market.
- Airotel: A group of high-end independent campsites. Each Airotel campsite retains its individual character.
- Yelloh! Village, a franchised chain, Yelloh! Village has forged a reputation for exceptional hospitality and first-rate facilities in the luxury camping sector.
- European Camping Group, an integrated chain known for its extensive portfolio of upscale camping destinations across Europe.
- Siblu , another heavyweight among integrated luxury camping chains, which has made a name for itself with its vast selection of exclusive campsites.
- Tropical (Glamping Terre & Mer) On the independent side, many operators like Tropical are active in the glamping market.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
Camping, or open-air hotels, is a tourist activity that involves living in the open air, in a tent, caravan, motorhome or similar accommodation. A campsite is an area of land set aside for camping, but there are also other types of camping, such as wilderness camping or camping with local people.
Campsites are registered under the following NAF code:
- 55.30Z: Camping grounds and parks for caravans or recreational vehicles
A campsite can be classified as either Tourism or Leisure.
- The Tourism classification applies when more than half of the pitches are intended for overnight, weekly or monthly rental to visiting customers.
- The " Loisirs " label applies when more than half the pitches are intended for rental for more than one month, by customers who do not make their home there.
There are 2 categories of classified campsites: starred campsites (from 1 to 5 stars) and natural area campsites.
Upscale campsites are those with 4 or 5 stars.
The French camping market is growing fast, with visitor numbers up 15% between 2011 and 2019, reaching 129 million overnight stays in 2019. The sector's sales growth is being driven in particular by the market's move upmarket in response to customers' growing demand for ever-greater comfort. Campsites are being modernized and made more comfortable, and the share of high-end campsites (4 and 5 stars) in the French market is increasing.
Top-of-the-range campsites are becoming an increasingly important part of the French offer, due to the changing expectations of the French, who now demand comfort and service, but also to the expansion of the offer towards new and original propositions. Camping today no longer refers solely to staying outdoors in a tent, as was the case a few years ago.
1.2 France, 2nd largest campground in the world
In terms of campsite numbers, the world market is dominated by the USA, with over **,*** sites, followed by France, which accounts for a third of European capacity, with over *,*** sites. [***]
In Europe, camping accounted for sales of **.* billion euros in ****. [***]
Campsites are a central part of the tourism sector in France, ...
1.3 The Covid-19 effect
The Covid-** epidemic has had several consequences on the camping market, and consequently on the luxury camping market, the first of which is the drop in sales during the confinement period, as illustrated in the graph below. In April and May ****, French campsite sales lost over **% of their value, only to ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Growth in demand driven by upscale camping
The outdoor hospitality sector had recorded more than *** million overnight stays in **** up to September at French campsites, representing a significant recovery compared to ****, which was marked by a general decline in activity.
Nights spent in the outdoor hotel industry France, ****-****, in millions Source: ****
This growth in the number of ...
2.2 Consumer profile
Consumer origin
The vast majority of campers at campsites in France are French (***).
Origin of campers as a share of overnight stays France, ****, in Source: ****
Among the French
Camping is indeed widespread in France: **% of French people say they have stayed at a campsite at least * time in their lives, and ...
2.3 Highly cyclical demand
Because camping is an outdoor activity, annual demand is highly concentrated in the summer months, mainly July and August. In ****, for example, August recorded **.* million overnight stays, compared with just *.* million in May. [***]
Nights spent in open-air hotels France, ****-****, in millions Source: ****
This cyclical pattern is illustrated by Google Trends ...
3 Market structure
3.1 A highly fragmented camping market
The French camping market comprised over *,*** establishments in ****, including *,*** high-end campsites (***). Of these, **% were independent establishments and only **% integrated into chains, making it a highly fragmented market.
One of the few players to have achieved a degree of unification is the Fédération Nationale de l'Hôtellerie de Plein Air (***), ...
3.2 Market structure by classification
The share of high-end camping in France is relatively low in terms of the number of sites (***), but is even more significant in terms of the number of sites. In fact, over **% of camping pitches in France are at top-of-the-range campsites, including **.*% at *-star campsites and **% at *-star campsites.
French campsites ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Geographical breakdown of supply
The French regions with the most campsites (***).
Geographical breakdown of campsites France, ****, in number of campsites Source: ****
With regard more specifically to high-end campsites, we observe a geographical distribution close to that of total activity: nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie are the top two regions for both *-star and *-star campsites. The Pays ...
4.2 Premiumization of the offer
The general rise in prices The upmarket nature of the campsite offering is reflected in a general rise in prices for the sector. The graph below, which also takes into account youth hostels, highlights this rise in prices, which have risen by almost **% in the ** years from **** to ****. Consumer price index ...
4.3 Supply trends and development avenues
Glamping
Glamping is the combination of the words "glamour" and "camping", and refers to a type of upmarket campsite offering atypical accommodation combining comfort, nature and respect for the environment. [***]
According to a Coach Omnium survey on the types of accommodation offered by glamping sites, tree houses are the most popular. ...
4.4 Price overview
To reflect the ever-increasing range of services on offer at the top end of the market, the price of a *-star campsite can sometimes be * or even * times that of a lower-end campsite.
Prices can also vary widely depending on the type of campsite and pitch chosen.
However, the campingfrance website ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Classification of campsites
A new classification framework has been introduced in **** by Atout France. The types of criteria taken into account in the assessment include the following:
Facilities
**-hour security presence (***) Identification and numbering of pitches from ** upwards Minimum pitch size: **m* for ** and **, **m* for ** and above Average pitch size: **m* for ...
5.2 Activity types and prerequisites
Article D***-*-* of the French Tourism Code defines a campsite as follows: an establishment offering bare or fully-equipped pitches on a plot of land with shared facilities, for rental to customers who do not elect domicile there. It must comply with town-planning regulations when the operator habitually receives more ...
5.3 Business regulations
Light leisure dwellings
Their surface area must not exceed **m*. Their number must not exceed ** on a site with less than *** pitches. [***]
Minimum sanitary conditions
The decree of July **, **** defines sanitary requirements for wastewater drainage, waste collection and disposal, general hygiene and equipment maintenance.
Posting requirements
Number of sites Site plan ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Les Castels
- Sunêlia
- Yelloh! Village
- Airotel
- VacanceSelect
- Siblu France
- Tropical (Glamping Terre & Mer)
- Sandaya
- Campings.com
- Flower Campings
- Osmozis
- Vacanses Campings
- ECG European Camping Group
- Capfun
- Tohapi
- Camping de la Grappe Fleurie
- Camping des Mûres
- MS Vacanses
- Le French Time
- Chadotel
List of charts presented in this market study
- Size of the French camping market
- Nights spent in open-air hotels
- Camper origin as a share of overnight stays
- Nights spent in open-air hotels
- Evolution of interest in "camping" research
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Latest news
Tourisme : pourquoi les fonds d'investissement adorent les campings - 30/05/2023
Campings.com: Loisirs : deux champions français s'allient face à Airbnb et compagnie - 24/05/2023
Campsites: France gives birth to a new European champion - 29/07/2022
- ECG to acquire Vacanceselect for an enterprise value of one billion euros
- The new group will market 45,000 mobile homes
- Spectacular change: the group, which PAI took control of in October 2021, will market around 400 campsites, including around 100 of its own
- Half of its portfolio is located in France, the other half in Europe (Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Luxembourg)
- Proforma sales to double
- Sales of 300 million euros for current year
- The Group's annual sales are to be compared with 212 million for 2020-2021 and 135 million for 2019-2020, this financial year being weighed down by the first year of the health crisis
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