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Camping can be one of the cheapest ways to travel. Yet a relatively new style of camping is proliferating – by some metrics – and it’s glamping.
U.S. national park visitors in 2021 spent, on average, USD 351 daily per group on traditional lodging outside the parks, such as hotels or bed-and-breakfast establishments. Parties who camped spent just USD 149, according to a Department of the Interior 2021 visitor spending report. That’s a 58% discount for visitors willing to exchange concrete for canvas. But canvas doesn’t always connote cost savings. That is, if you’re glamping.
For example, you might pay USD 650 per night after taxes and resort fees at Under Canvas Zion as part of a glamping trip to Utah’s Zion National Park this fall. Situated about 30 minutes from the park’s entrance, the resort’s accommodations include safari-inspired tents with beds, bathrooms, hot showers and wood-burning stoves. There’s no electricity, but guests can borrow USB battery packs to keep devices charged. The resort fee covers all-you-can-roast s’mores, live music and yoga classes.
That USD 650 covers the entry-level tent, which accommodates two adults via a king bed. The suite tent, which includes a queen sofa bed in addition to the king bed (thus better for families) can run nearly USD 850 per night on autumn weekends.
Guided night sky tours, sun observations, and a planetary parade are among the planned activities for the Astro Camp. The camp includes STEM workshops to engage in hands-on activities like building and launching rockets using materials readily available at home. The astro camp has been organised in collaboration with Spiti Expedition.
Under Canvas is among the biggest glamping operators. Another is AutoCamp, which offers canvas tents as well as other accommodations including Airstream trailers. A weekend stay at AutoCamp Zion this fall can cost about USD 570 per night after taxes and fees. A larger campsite with an Airstream and tent (large enough for six) can cost nearly USD 900 nightly. Yet such prices aren’t turning off travellers; glamping is exploding in popularity. In 2022, an estimated 10.5 million households went glamping, up from an estimated 7.7 million households in 2020. That’s according to the 2023 North American Camping & Outdoor Hospitality Report from Kampgrounds of America (KOA), which runs more than 500 campgrounds across the United States. and Canada.
Camping cools down
In 2019, 23.5 million North American households said they camped in traditional tents, a figure that ballooned 31% to 30.8 million in 2020, according to KOA’s survey. By 2021, that had grown by an even sharper 50.2% compared with 2019, to 35.3 million.
In 2022, traditional camping enthusiasts dropped off to levels lower than 2020’s numbers, back to about 30.4 million households.
Camping of all kinds accounted for 40% of all North American vacations in 2021 but dropped to 32% in 2022. Some people might have gotten over camping, but that’s only if your definition of camping means pitching your own tent and starting your own fire.
No resort fee will be charged on the day of arrival, and more than 20 categories of residents will be exempted from paying the fee, including veterans of the Great Patriotic War, families with many children and people permanently working in the city on the basis of an employment contract or service contract.
Glamping heats up, despite high costs
If you’re willing to consider glamping as a form of camping, then North America’s enthusiasm for camping is just getting started. While KOA said this is the first time it has seen a drop in the number of tent-camping households since it started tracking data in 2014, interest in glamping is growing – so much that the overall rate of camping of all kinds is at a record high.
In 2020, 4.8 million North American camping households said they’d choose cabins or glamping as their primary accommodation style, according to KOA’s survey. That figure grew to 5.1 million by 2021 before more than doubling to 12.3 million in 2022. That’s all despite the high costs of glamping, which can often exceed traditional hotel prices.
KOA analyzed average daily traveler expenditures in 2022 and found that glampers spent roughly 18% (USD 61) more than traditional campers. Glampers also spent more than traditional hotel guests by about 3% (USD 12).
About 63% of respondents said they like glamping to get an experience that blends the benefits of staying at a resort and the outdoors, according to KOA’s report. At AutoCamp Zion’s Airstream Suite, you’ll sleep on a luxurious mattress and relax in a walk-in rain shower. At AutoCamp’s outpost along Northern California’s Russian River, some suites have private, wood-fired hot tubs.
Despite glamping’s higher price tag, the amenities seem to seduce noncampers – 33% of KOA survey respondents say they glamp because they want an outdoor experience without actually having to go camping.
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