Glamping is a modern trend of luxurious camping, where experiencing the outdoors is combined with spacious or particularly comfortable accommodations. This often takes the form of larger, more heavy-duty tents such as the type of canvas wall tents we sell right here at Davis Tent. This trend has become more prevalent in the leisure and tourism industry than it actually has with individuals, because most people only want a one-off glamping experience, which usually isn’t worth the investment in all the equipment.
This new glamping market is a branch of the tourism industry that is relatively low barrier-to-entry, with high potential for profit, and therefore is appealing to many entrepreneurs. In this blog post, we’ll cover the basics of how to get started with a glamping business.
1. Ask Yourself: Is Glamping a Passion for You?
As with any business, it’s important that you actually are passionate about glamping, or experiencing the great outdoors in style. If you aren’t, then the operation of the business will inevitably become a chore, and you may not stick with it enough to proceed. Keeping in mind what makes you want to provide this experience to others will help you through the difficult times which every business owner faces.
2. Find Your Glamping Niche
You might be thinking the glamping is niche enough, but as an increasingly popular industry, finding an even more specific niche (where there is still a market, of course) will help you to stand apart from the crowd. The “buyer persona” of your target niche market will determine things like the location of your business, the style or theme of your accommodations, and various other factors. One great idea is eco-friendly glamping, which can also be a way to save on the amenities, as eco-friendly can often be cheap.
3. Determine Location
You can choose your location based on your niche, but in some cases, it may actually make more sense to go the other way around, such as if you have a piece of land owned by friends or family who may want to go into business with you. On the other hand, you may choose to go the complete opposite route, and purchase land for Glamping in an exotic foreign location, which will of course come with its own legal considerations and hassles. Don’t forget about the option of finding landowners who might be willing to rent out sections of their land to you, especially if the land isn’t particularly productive to them, currently.
4. Imagine Your Accommodations, and Create an Inventory
The best way to know what assets or amenities you’ll need is to imagine what kind of glamping experience you’d like to create for your customers. This may change, as you may find certain decorations or supplies that you hadn’t thought of previously, but it’s a good idea to start with a concrete list, even if it changes eventually. Especially important to take into consideration are kitchen and sanitary facilities.
5. Obtain Any Licenses or Permits
Of course, operating a business always comes with legalities, licensure, and related considerations. You should do the necessary research to know the regulations in your area, and what you need to do to comply with them. Simply having a meeting with your local planning authority is a great way to get started with this. Again, kitchen and sanitary facilities are important considerations when it comes to compliance with regulations.
6. Start Small and Agile
I would advise you to start with a small to begin with. This will help you work out the kinks from the start, without losing huge investment. This is a principle from the Agile method in startups.
7. Set Yourself Apart
This was already mentioned a bit in finding your niche, but it’s really important to determine what perks or unique elements will set you apart. For instance, you can offer spa services, a sauna, massage, free yoga classes, a particular style of accommodation that is culturally unique, cuisine or dining services, or host retreats. Your guests need a reason that they would stay at your glamping site.
8. Promote and Advertise
Lastly, as with any business, you will need to spend some time putting your name out there. All of the various business methods for doing this apply, ranging from influencer and content marketing, to having a big Instagram presence, having a website, and being listed on online glamping indexes, or places like Air BnB.
In the end, even starting off with one quality walled canvas tent decked out with luxury amenities and decorations can be enough to get you going. We offer a range of affordable glamping tents, and it’s a great way to test the waters without as much risk, and you wouldn’t even have to quit your day job.
