The luxury campsite market - France

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, and in **** accounted for **.*% of beds available in market accommodation in the country. [***] The sector's sales have more than doubled in ** years, rising from * billion euros in **** to over * billion euros in ****, representing growth of +***% over the period.

In fact, Insee provides sales figures for the camping market up to ****, as well as monthly market sales indices up to ****. By calculating the annual averages of the monthly sales indices, it is possible to estimate market sales in **** and ****. The average of the monthly market sales indices was ***.** in ****, ***.* in **** and ***.** in ****. To obtain sales for **** and ****, the calculation for year n is as follows: sales **** * index for year n / ***. Thus, for ****, market sales can be estimated using the following formula: ***.* * *.*** / *** = *.***. [***] The camping market is therefore estimated at *,*** billion euros in ****. Size of the French camping market France, ****-****, in billions of euros Source: ****

It is very difficult to obtain an ...

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 rise again from June **** onwards.

The summer of **** nonetheless saw a high level of activity, indicating a healthy recovery in the sector.

Sales index for the camping market (***) France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: ****

Campsites therefore lost two and a half months' sales, after which attendance levels returned to normal. However, the customer profile has changed, with the proportion of foreign customers dropping to that of residents.

The Covid-** epidemic also had a catalytic effect on the motorhome market, with sales and rentals soaring. Rentals in July-August **** were **% up on last year. Many of the campers are also new customers, providing campsites with a potential new clientele. [***]

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 overnight stays is driven by high-end camping : while the number of overnight stays was ** million in **** in unclassified and * or *-star campsites, it was ** million in *-star campsites and ** million in *-star campsites.

Occupancy rates at top-of-the-range campsites are also higher than at entry-level or mid-range campsites: **% for *-star campsites and **.*% for *-star campsites, compared with **.* for unclassified campsites.

Source: ****

Stays at top-of-the-range campsites are also longer on average than at entry-level or mid-range campsites: the average length of stay at a *-star campsite is *.* nights, compared with *.* at unclassified campsites.

Source: ****

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 of these, **% say they have stayed several times [***].

While there are no significant differences between the sexes (***), the main characteristics observed in the results of this survey are as follows:

**% of **-** year-olds and **% of **-** year-olds have stayed at a campsite at least once in their lives. Conversely, only **% of **-** year-olds have ever been. **% of CSP+ and **% of CSP have already been camping. **% of respondents who answered "Yes" are households with a child under ** (***)

Source: ****

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 searches. The graph below shows the proportion of searches for the keyword "camping" in France over the last five years, compared with the time when the keyword was most frequently used (***). A value of ** means that the keyword was used half as often in the area concerned.

Over the past five years, we have observed a strong seasonal pattern for this search, with a peak observed during the summer period, in line with the seasonal pattern highlighted above by the number of overnight stays.

Trends in interest in "camping" searches France, ****-****, Google index Source: ****

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 (***), which counts *,*** operators and represents almost **% of the sector's activity. This federation is the only employers' organization in the sector, and aims to defend the interests of campsite operators. [***]

The sector is nevertheless experiencing an acceleration in what might be termed the "outdoor hotel mercato". Indeed, chains are increasingly trying to buy up campsites from independent operators to complete their catalog and extend their offer. One of the latest examples is the acquisition of the Amac network by the Vacalians group in June ****, for a sum in the region of *** to *** million euros. [***]

Another example is the takeover in May **** by Aix-en-Provence-based European leader ECG (***) of * *-star campsites, including * in France, which plans to grow by * to ** establishments a year to expand its upscale offering. [***]

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 by classification France, ****, in number of campsites Source: ****

French campsites by classification France, ****, in number of sites Source: ****

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 de la Loire, on the other hand, is better represented in the * and * star categories than in the overall sector.

Geographical distribution of *-star campsites France, ****, in number of campsites Source: ****

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 for campsites and youth hostels (***) France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source : Insee Increasing comfort on campsites

First and foremost, this rise in prices is the result of the improvement and premiumization of French campsites as a whole. This improvement in campsite comfort 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 **%, to reach **% of capacity. What's more, more and more collective services are being offered to tourists: sports and leisure activities (***). [***]

In ****, pitches equipped with rental accommodation accounted for **% of overnight stays, compared with **% in ****, and welcomed longer stays (***). [***]

The growing success of high-end campsites Secondly, the rise in prices is also the result of the accelerating growth of high-end campsites, whose share of the total French campsite population continues to rise.

Indeed, the number of ** pitches rose by +*.*% between **** and ****, and the ...

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. They are followed by water cabins, transparent bubbles, yurts and trailers.

While this survey dates back to ****, it provides an overview of the main offerings in this segment, and is confirmed by the **** Observatoire de l'hébergement insolite. Indeed, the latter confirms consumers' preference for treehouses, water cabins and transparent bubbles, which are nonetheless already highly developed offerings in France. However, in ****, a new offering appears on the ranking of preferred unusual accommodations, namely "Hobbit"-type underground houses.

What's more, this type of campsite doesn't seem to be aimed at the same type of clientele, since customers are more likely to be couples aged ** to **.

This is a very recent market, and one that has grown rapidly. More and more players are positioning themselves in this flourishing segment. For example, the start-up HomeCamper.com puts campers in touch with owners who offer pitches in their gardens in authentic locations (***). [***]\ ...

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 provides market figures for ****, giving an overview of price ranges:

Average rates for a pitch for * people + electricity in high season ****:

Unclassified campsite: €**.* per night *-star campsite: €**.** per night Average rate: €**.* per night

Average rates for a *-bedroom mobile home for *-* people in high season ****:

*-star campsite: €*** per week *-star campsite: €*,*** per week Average rate: €*** per week

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 ** and **, **m* for **, ***m* for ** and ***m* for ** On-site catering from ** upwards Bed linen and towels available for ** sites

Customer service

Online reservation module for ** and up, and **-hour reservation for ** Website presenting the establishment and rates from ** upwards Reception team speaking two foreign languages including English from ** upwards

Accessibility and sustainable development

Number of PRM showers: * per *** for **, up to * per *** for ** and ** At least two locally-produced or organic products for **

Consult the document available on Atout France for an exhaustive list of criteria by classification level.

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 than * accommodations or more than ** campers. Campsites may be operated on a permanent or seasonal basis.

As mentioned above, a campsite must first be classified according to Atout France criteria, from * to * stars. Campsites are also divided into several categories:

"tourism": if more than **% of the pitches are intended for overnight or weekly rental, or at least for a visiting clientele (***) "leisure": if more than **% of the pitches are intended for rental for more than one month, by a clientele that does not make its home there "natural area": if the site meets the standards set out in the appendix to the the decree of February **, ****

Campsite location zone

In accordance with article R***-** of the Code de l'urbanisme, it is forbidden to set up a campsite:

On a shoreline On a site listed as a protected area under article L**** of the Environment Code In zones for ...

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 with numbered pitches where applicable Prices charged Number of bare pitches and equipped pitches

Source: ****

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