Why Launch a Glamping Site in the South East?
The glamping industry offers a lucrative route for farm diversification and a fulfilling career whatever your circumstances may be. With the massive growth in the industry in recent years, now is the perfect time to start a glamping site.
And if you’re in the South East of England, this is even more so the case for you for a variety of reasons. In today’s article, we’ll go over some of the reasons for this as well as some practical advice if you’re interested in starting a glamping business of your own.
The State of the Glamping Industry
It’s no secret that the glamping industry in general is having a bit of a moment right now. Naturally, Covid-19 has also massively changed the way we view travel, with 31% of people saying they’d look to stay more local when travelling in the future. As many as 84% of Britons were planning a staycation in 2021, with glamping being near the top of their list for accommodation options.
However, even before the pandemic started, the glamping industry was showing steady growth due to increased interest in things like cycling, walking, and a desire to connect with the natural world.
An interest in saving money and taking part in more eco-friendly travel have also raised interest in glamping and staycations in general, with people ditching long flights in favour of short car rides to get to their holiday destination.
The global glamping market was valued at £1.36 billion in 2020, and at time the industry had an expected annual growth rate of 14% between 2021 and 2028. It remains to be seen how Covid-19 will affect this number, but it’s safe to say it’ll likely end up being even higher than this.
Why the South East is Great for Glamping
The South East offers lots of great, varied opportunities for glamping. The South East is the sunniest part of the UK and boasts an impressive 400 miles of coastline, dotted with gorgeous beaches and charming coastal towns.
It’s also home to places of historic interest such as Oxford and Windsor Castle as well as a rich literary history to please culture vultures.
The area is also home to two national parks, New Forest and South Downs, as well as a number of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), making the region a hiker’s paradise.
With quintessential English villages and country pubs, stately homes as well as award-winning beaches and hiking trails, it’s hard to imagine a better glamping destination than South East England. It’s a region truly rich with opportunities for those wanting to enter the glamping industry.
The Glamping Industry in the South East
Located within easy reach of London, South East England can be a very profitable region for people looking to get into the staycation game and attract weekend warriors from the capital and further afield.
Birmingham and Cardiff are also within easy reach of the South East, while Brighton is smack dab in the middle of the region. Combined with tourists from London, these cities could provide a steady stream of visitors to South East glamping sites.
The South East is also an area that’s home to a population of people with statistically more disposable income to spend on mini breaks.
An Untapped Market
Now is the perfect time to start a glamping site in the South East because the area doesn’t offer all that much competition for glamping operators. According to a 2020 research report by International Glamping Business, there were only 33 glamping sites in South East England, compared to over 350 in the North of England and 139 in South West England.
From these numbers, it’s easy to see that there’s a relatively untapped market for glamping in the region. That means right now is your best opportunity to establish yourself within the glamping industry in the South East - so strike while the iron is hot!
Tips for getting started in the glamping industry
In order to appeal to glampers in South East England, it’s important to differentiate yourself from other staycation providers of all kinds in your area. Offering luxe extras like hot tubs and fire pits helps to appeal to those city dwellers who expect a little bit of luxury on their break. After all, “glamping” = glamorous + camping.
With Wigwam® Holidays, these are easy to set up on your glamping site. And with our range of Glamping Pods and Lodges equipped with bathrooms and kitchenettes, your site can easily become a home away from home for glampers of all kinds.
Those looking into starting a glamping business as a farm diversification strategy can further boost their income by the introduction of a farm shop selling things like firewood, farm goods and food items to their visitors.
We have a number of online resources available to those thinking about entering the glamping industry to help you figure out if it’s the right option for you and how to get started. You can access these through the link below.
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.
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