The camping market - France

1.2 The global market is growing and concentrated in North America and Europe

The global camping market grew at a CAGR (***) of *.*% from **** to reach $**.* billion in ****. In ****, the Covid-** related epidemic has resulted in an estimated market decline of -*.*% with revenue estimated to be $** billion in ****.

However, recovery is expected to take place as early as **** and the camping market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over *% between **** and **** to reach $**.* billion by ****.

Global Camping Market Size World, ****-*****, US$ billion Source: ****

The observed growth of the camping market is explained by the financial advantage of camping over more expensive alternatives, by the rise in purchasing power, particularly in developing countries, by the rise of technological services that reinforce the appeal of camping, and by the aging of the population and therefore of people in retirement. However, the sector's dynamism is facing threats, in particular natural risks such as floods or storms, and competition from other tourist practices that are developing as alternatives to camping.

In the coming years, this growth is expected to continue, mainly due to the growing interest of millennials for camping and the population for outdoor activities. In addition, favorable government policies and increased recreational spending are also expected to drive revenue growth.

The global camping ...

1.3 The French market is growing and moving upmarket

The graph below highlights the sector's growth in volume, which is reflected in the increase in the number of overnight stays spent at French campsites. In the outdoor hotel industry, visitation increased by *.*% in **** to *** million overnight stays. This figure is on a steady rise as the number of overnight stays spent at campsites in France has increased by **% since ****, with strong momentum from resident customers whose overnight stays increased by **.*% and a more moderate increase in the number of non-resident customers whose number of overnight stays increased by **.*%.

Change in the number of overnight stays in the outdoor hotel industry France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: ****

This strong growth in the camping market is confirmed in value terms. However, there will be a significant drop in activity in **** due to the health crisis, followed by a recovery in ****, which is almost equivalent to a return to the **** level.

The Insee provides the turnover of the camping market up to ****, as well as the monthly turnover indices of the market up to ****. By calculating the annual averages of the monthly turnover indices, it is possible to estimate the market turnover from **** to ****. [***]

Thus, the camping market is estimated to be worth *.*** billion ...

1.4 The effect of Covid-19

The Covid-** epidemic has had several consequences on the camping market, the first being the drop in turnover during the containment period as illustrated in the graph below. In April and May ****, the turnover of French campsites lost more than **% of its value, only to increase again from June ****.

Nevertheless, the summer of **** saw significant activity, indicating good recovery in the sector.

Camping market turnover index (***) France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: ****

Campsites therefore lost two and a half months of revenue and then attendance levels returned to normal. However, the profile of the clientele has changed, as the proportion of foreign clients has fallen in part replaced by resident clients.

The Covid-** epidemic also had a catalytic effect on the motorhome market, where sales and rentals soared. Rentals in July-August **** jumped by **% compared to last year. Many of the campers are also new customers who constitute a new potential clientele for the campsites. [***]

2.1 Customer profile and habits

Camper profile

In ****, approximately **% of overnight stays at French campsites were made by French people while **% of overnight stays were made by foreign residents. Moreover, the latter are mostly from Europe since only *.*% of overnight stays were made by customers who came from non-European countries. Thus, in ****, the first countries of origin of non-French campers were the Netherlands (***).

Campsite attendance by customer origin France, ****, in % Source: ****

The majority of campsite customers are families, as shown in the graph below. Groups of friends and couples are also common.

Preferences regarding who to stay with at a campsite France, ****, in % Source: ****

Camping habits

When?

There does not seem to be a strong preference among the French regarding the frequency of campsite visits. The French seem slightly more inclined to go every * or * years, but generally speaking, about a third of the French go every year or so, another third every * to * years, and the last third less often. In addition, the graph shows that the proportion of customers who go every * to * years has dropped in favor of customers who go less often.

Frequency of campsite visits France, ****, in % Source: ****

Furthermore, the French go camping mainly in the summer, as the survey shown ...

2.2 Microeconomic determinants: customer choice criteria

The added value of camping The quality-price ratio is the main reason for choosing camping for one's vacations. Camping is therefore seen as a way to go on vacation at a lower cost, but also as a place appreciated for its leisure facilities (***) and its conviviality. The following reasons are the proximity of nature and the flexibility that camping offers since it allows to easily change location. Reasons for choosing camping as a vacation destination France, ****, in percent Source: ****

Criteria of choice

Several criteria are considered essential by the French. The first characteristics on which customers focus their attention are the quality of the campgrounds and the comfortable rental accommodation. It is therefore the quality of the accommodation that is considered essential and a priority.

In addition, the potential of the campsite for bathing, whether it is the sea, the ocean or a swimming pool, appears as the second criterion considered fundamental.

Criteria considered as fundamental in the choice of a campsite France, ****, in percent Source: ****

However, other criteria are considered to be very important and constitute characteristics on which campsites can rely to stand out. In particular, the fact that the campsite pays particular attention to environmental preservation (***) is the ...

2.3 Macroeconomic determinants: aging, climate and standard of living

If the quality-price ratio and the quality of the pitches are the first determining factors of the customers' choices, some factors beyond their control also influence the dynamics of the demand. In recent years, several factors have strongly influenced the evolution of demand in the camping market. Among them, the main ones are the following: The aging of the population The climatic conditions The increase of the purchasing power and the standard of living The aging of the population

France, like a large number of developed countries, has been experiencing a structural aging of its population for many years, due to the combined decline in the birth rate and death rate. As a result, the number and proportion of retired people, and therefore people with leisure time, is steadily increasing, representing a growing potential clientele for campsites.

Share of the population aged over ** France, ****-***** Source: ****

Climatic conditions

Weather conditions have a strong influence on demand in the camping market. Indeed, mild weather conditions in summer favor the camping market, while natural disasters or a dull summer penalize the market. Furthermore, very hot weather encourages customers to seek cooler temperatures at campsites located in the north of France, and vice ...

3.1 Geographical distribution of campsites: a concentration on the coasts

With *,*** campsites in ****, France has the largest number of campsites in Europe and the second largest in the world, after the United States. [***]

More specifically, the map below highlights the high concentration of campsites by the sea or ocean. There are more campsites on the coastline. Thus, the departments with the most campsites are, in order: Vendée (***), all of which are by the sea or ocean.

Geographical distribution of campsites

France, ****, in number of sites

Source: ****

3.2 The organization of campsites: independents still in the majority

Campsites can be organized in * ways:

Integrated chains: Eurocamp, CapFun, Homair Vacances, Campéole, Siblu, Sandaya

The integrated chains operate on the basis of a branch system, with a parent company and subsidiaries that are dependent on it.

Franchise chains: Flower Campings, Yelloh! Village, Tohapi

Franchisee chains are made up of several legally independent companies that are bound by a franchise agreement to a franchisor. These companies can thus exploit the concept, the sign, the brands and the commercial processes of the franchisor in exchange for the payment of royalties and sometimes an entry fee.

Groupings : Les Castels, Aquaticamp, Sites & Paysages, Sunêlia, Welcome Campings

The groupings bring together campsites operated by independent companies but which can benefit from the reputation of a label or a common purchasing and reservation center.

Independent

Independent campsites are the most numerous, representing almost **% of all campsites. They are family businesses that are legally and financially autonomous and do not depend on any network or group.

Source: ****

Chains and groups are still in the minority in the French campsite population, representing **% of campsites in **** and **% of sites. However, their share of the turnover is significant as chains and groups of campsites generated more than half ...

3.3 Classification of campsites

In ****, there were *,*** campsites in France that can be divided according to their number of stars. [***] The most numerous were the *-star campsites, with **** establishments, followed by the non-classified (***), these three types of campsites representing a total of **.*% of French campsites. It is therefore the campsites with * star or * stars that are the least common, since * star campsites represent only *% of campsites in France, while * star campsites represent *.*% of campsites. In ****, there were slightly fewer campsites (***). It is interesting to note, however, that the accuracy of the distribution of ratings among these campsites has been refined with an increase in the proportion of rated sites.

Distribution of campsites by rating France, ****-****, as a % of total Source: FFCC In addition, in ****, the *,*** campsites offered ***,*** campgrounds, which were distributed as shown in the graph below. It appears that the majority of pitches are offered by *-star, *-star and *-star campsites. The *-star campsites offer only *.*% of the pitches while the *-star campsites offer *.*% and the unclassified ones **%. [***] Distribution of campsites by classification France, ****, in % Source : Insee Comparing these two graphs and comparing the number of campsites and the number of campgrounds for each classification, it appears that unclassified, *-star and *-star campsites ...

4.1 Typology of campsites and their offer

There are several types of campsites:

The traditional campsite: offers rental pitches to pitch your tent, park your caravan or motor home and can also offer serviced pitches The residential leisure park: offers mainly light leisure dwellings (***) Luxury campsites: * or * star campsites that offer superior comfort and high-end services such as a spa, a gym, gourmet restaurants or a nightclub Glamping : offers an unusual, luxurious and environmentally friendly camping Eco-camping: offers eco-responsible accommodation and lifestyle, with accommodation made of natural materials (***) Camping in the homes of local people: allows you to set up your tent, caravan or camper in the garden of the owners who offer it for rent Camping on a farm: allows you to rent a part of a land belonging to a farm Urban camping: offers camping in urban areas, on the roof of a building, an old converted building or a city wood for example Wilderness camping: consists of camping in the wilderness for several days in a place that is not equipped for this activity but where it is authorized to camp [***]

The table below describes the main offers that campsites can provide:

Source: ****

Prices can vary greatly depending on the type of campsite and the ...

4.2 Upgrading of the offer

The general price increase The increase in the range of campsites on offer is reflected in a general rise in prices in the sector. The graph below, which also takes into account youth hostels, highlights this increase in prices, which have risen by almost **% in ** years, from **** to ****. Consumer price index for campgrounds and youth hostels (***) France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: Insee The growing comfort of campsites Firstly, this price increase is the result of the improvement and premiumization of the offer of all French campsites. The improvement in the comfort of campsites has had two main effects: the development of rental accommodation (***). [***] Between **** and ****, the number of bare pitches fell by **%, while the number of equipped pitches rose by **%, reaching **% of capacity. In addition, the collective services offered to tourists are multiplying: sports or leisure activities (***). [***] The growing success of high-end campsites Secondly, the rise in prices is also the result of the accelerated growth of high-end campsites, whose share of the total French campsite population continues to increase. In fact, in ****, * and * star campsites saw their number of pitches increase by *.*% and *.*% respectively compared to ****. Conversely, the number of pitches at *-star campsites fell by **.*%, *-star campsites also fell ...

4.3 Supply trends and development areas

Glamping

Glamping is the association of the words "glamour" and "camping" and designates a type of high-end camping that offers atypical accommodation combining comfort, nature and respect for the environment. [***]

The graph below illustrates the types of accommodation that glamping places can offer. Tree houses are the most popular and have seen their success grow steadily in recent years. They are followed by water cabins, transparent bubbles, yurts and trailers.

Preferred alternative accommodation types France, ****, in % Source: ****

While this survey dates back to ****, it provides an overview of the main offerings in this segment and is confirmed by the **** Unusual Accommodation Observatory. The latter indeed confirms consumers' preference for tree houses, water cabins and transparent bubbles, which are, however, already highly developed offers in France. However, in ****, a new offer appears on the ranking of preferred unusual accommodations, namely "Hobbit" type underground houses.

Moreover, this type of camping does not seem to be aimed at the same type of clientele since customers are more couples between ** and ** years old.

This market is very recent and has progressed very quickly. More and more players are positioning themselves on this flourishing segment. For example, the start-up HomeCamper.com puts campers in touch with ...

5.1 Regulations concerning campsites

The opening of a campsite

Several steps are necessary to open a campsite:

Choose the type of campsite which determines the status of the campsite (***)

For a declared campsite, you just have to make a declaration to the town hall of the place where the site is located. To do so, you fill in the Cerfa form n°********. The town hall has * month to answer. If it has not responded within this period, the declaration is considered to be accepted.

For campsites receiving more than ** campers and * accommodations, the operator must request a development permit using the Cerfa form n°********. The town hall has * months to make its decision.

The operation of the campsite can only start after having sent to the town hall a declaration attesting the completion and the conformity of the works via the Cerfa form n°********. The company must be registered with the RCS (***), except if the campsite is linked to an agricultural activity. Choosing the location of the campsite in compliance with town planning regulations

Source: ****

Management of a campsite

Communicate the rules of procedure: Each campsite must have rules of procedure, established according to a standard model. The rules of procedure must be posted at ...

5.2 Regulations concerning campers

Wilderness camping

Wilderness camping, i.e. camping in isolation and outside of a developed site, is authorized provided that the owner of the site agrees, but in some places it is prohibited.

It is forbidden to camp, even temporarily:

On public roads and highways In classified or pending natural sites In classified remarkable heritage sites In the vicinity of historical monuments On the shores of the sea Less than *** m from water points used for consumption

The practice of camping, outside of campgrounds, may be prohibited by the mayor in any public area. The ban may be temporary or permanent.

Source: ****

6.1 Segmentation

• Les Castels
• Sunêlia
• Yelloh! Village
• Siblu France
• Campings.com
• Osmozis
• Alentour
• Sandaya
• Flower Campings
• Vacanses Campings
• ECG European Camping Group
• Capfun
• Tohapi
• Odesia Vacanses Association
• Huttopia Indigo Campings
• Berger Camping
• Forclaz
• Homair Vacances
• Eurocamp
• Les Méditerranées
• Campéole MS Vacanses
• Le French Time
• Mobile Home IRM (Trigano groupe)
• Rideau Groupe
• NaïtUp
• Chadotel
• Espiguette Camping
• Narbonne Accessoires - Sunroad Equipment
• Camping Paradis
• Locasun