2023 Glamping Market Forecast

The glamping market in the UK has experienced significant growth in recent years. According to a report by Research and Markets, the market was valued at around £3 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach £5 billion by 2022, growing at a compounded annual rate of around 10% during the forecast period.

One of the main drivers of growth has been the increasing popularity of glamping among consumers looking for a unique and luxury outdoor experience. Glamping offers a more comfortable and luxurious alternative to traditional camping. As a result, it appeals to a wider range of consumers, including families, couples, and older generations.

The demand for glamping has also been driven by the growing trend of staycations in the UK, as more people opt for domestic holidays due to the uncertainties caused by Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in an increase in the number of glamping sites across the country, with more landowners and investors looking to enter the market.

Insights from a Market Leader

Our sister company, Wigwam Holidays, has been delivering glamping holidays across the UK in 90+ locations and we have seen people from all walks of life try glamping. We’ve welcomed over 200,000 holiday makers at our sites since 2018 and, through our customer research, we have seen how the market has changed over these years.  Below are a few trends to watch out for in 2023. 

Instagrammable Holidays

We have seen a shift in our customer base lately. In 2018 it was predominantly families with children, but each year we have seen less families and more younger couples without children (see fig.1 and fig.2). This group are often referred to as DINKY’s (double income, no kids yet) or DINKWAD’s (double income, no kids, with a dog). These types of guests are very likely to consume and post a lot of social media content and often get their holiday inspiration from what they see on these platforms.

Lesson: make sure you’re engaging with the younger generation, and putting enough time and effort into growing your social media channels. 

Figure.1 - The number of 25-34 year olds has nearly doubled whilst the number of 45-54 year olds has nearly halved.

Figure.2 - The number of married people has dropped by nearly a couple whilst the number of guests who are in a relationship has more than doubled.

Cost of Living Crisis

We’re all feeling the extra cost of living and doing business just now. Inflation is up, the cost of energy is high, and the whole international community is dealing with what some are labeling a ‘permacrisis’. Unfortunately, this year doesn’t look like it’s going to get much easier. 

Despite this, there are good reasons for optimism within the UK glamping market. Demand for domestic holidays is strong right now -though you may need to adapt your offering. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw greater demand for ‘luxury’ accommodation with more guests wanting things like hot tubs and less sites offering more basic options.

Rise of the DINKY’s 

Young couples are less susceptible to the financial pain inflicted by the cost of living crisis when compared with the average family (two parents, two children). 

Luxury and Instagrammable glamping holidays remain very attractive to young couples and it would appear that neither user group have an appetite for returning to more basic and traditional types of glamping accommodation. When asked if having an en-suite bathroom was essential to their glamping experience, over 60% of all respondents answered yes. It will always be important to have glamping pods on site that cater to couples, which is where our Classic Ensuites come into play.

Families have not stopped going on domestic holidays however, they’re going for larger options and have been captured by the growing ‘cottage’ and self catering market driven up by the big players like Airbnb and booking.com. Despite the growth in younger customers, families still make up a very significant part of our customer base and you certainly shouldn’t ignore them. Families are typically looking for larger accommodation units with a bit more space for kids - something to bear in mind when thinking about what units to buy.  

Lesson: Make sure your accommodation is attractive and post worthy for younger couples and think about offering larger unites for families.  

Our predictions for 2023 

We expect the UK glamping market to continue growing in the coming years - driven by increasing consumer demand for luxury outdoor experiences and a growing demand for domestic holidays. We expect the glamping market to diversify with sites growing their total number of accommodation units to include a wider variety of accommodation options (like pods and lodges) to be more attractive to families again who have been moving to the cottage market for holidays.

Learn More about Wigwam

The Wigwam brand consists of two separate but overlapping businesses - Wigwam Cabins and Wigwam Holidays.

Wigwam Holidays operates as a franchise, booking system and website. It is one of the top glamping businesses in the UK, consisting of over 80 UK locations and welcomed over 100k guests last year. Wigwam Holidays offers a tried and tested franchise model to its franchisees, and “great holidays in the great outdoors” to its guests.

Wigwam Cabins is a manufacturer of high quality wooden cabins. It’s the business that invented the ‘glamping pod’ over 30 years ago. Today, from its workshop in Perth, Wigwam Cabins focuses on building a range of glamping pods and timber lodges. Fear not, you do not need to be a part of Wigwam Holidays to buy products from Wigwam Cabins.

Get in touch with us

If you would like any more information from us, please fill in the form below and we will get back to you within two working days or check out our full 2023 glamping market insights report here.