The glamping industry is growing at a rapid rate, and it’s not going to stop for a long time yet. Demand for glamping sites will continue to outstrip supply for a good few years, and even once we reach the equilibrium point (where there are enough sites to meet the demand), the better sites will still thrive. There’s never been a better time to get into glamping, and this rings particularly true for farmers and landowners.
How much do glamping sites make?
On the business side, setting up a glamping site is an excellent investment. As shown by the graphic below, which is taken from Glampitect’s 2021 Glamping Industry Forecast, glamping blows property out of the water when it comes to return on investment.
You might be struggling to believe your eyes, but it’s possible. Let’s say you have 5 glamping pods on your site, with your nightly rate being a fairly standard £130. If you average a 60% occupancy rate, which is certainly achievable if your marketing and customer service is good enough, that means you’ll be looking at an income of £11,700 per month. Taking into account the average running costs of £400 per pod per month, this makes for a very healthy profit and a rapid return on investment.
How does this relate to me as a farmer?
The information given thus far is particularly relevant to you because you’re in the perfect position to take advantage of the opportunity presented by glamping. A lot of people struggle to get their glamping dreams off the ground because of difficulties in finding and buying land, but you already have lots of it. You’ve bypassed one of the most troublesome stages of the process, as well as saving a shed-load of money.
You can also use the rest of your farm as a unique selling point and additional revenue stream. You'll attract more guests if you offer, for example, fruit picking, pumpkin carving and tractor riding, and those that come will be willing to pay more. Your land and occupation gives you plenty of advantages over other glamping sites, so use them!
We’re no farming experts, and we won’t be so bold as to tell you what the future of the agricultural sector is going to look like, but as we make the transition towards a post-Brexit UK, it's clear there's an element of uncertainty about the sector moving forward. Diversifying your sources of income would be a wise bet to protect yourself in the future, and the numbers suggest there are very few diversification options that represent better value than glamping.
How do I get started?
There’s no hard and fast rule for setting up a glamping site. You might have already done a feasibility assessment and you’re now looking at getting planning permission. Or you might never have heard of the word ‘glamping’ until today.
We’re not the glamping site setup experts. We can’t provide you with a detailed feasibility assessment or help you with planning permission. But we do know the people who can help you with that sort of stuff. And if you want to get your hands dirty and build your own glamping accommodation (like the guys in the video below), we can help turn that dream into reality with our creativity, engineering skills and state-of-the-art CNC technology. Get in touch, and we can get cracking.
I’m still interested in finding out more about glamping in general. Where can I find more information?
Our other blog posts may be exactly what you’re looking for. Just click on any that take your fancy:
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