We exclusively interviewed Uwe Frers, ceo of Adac PinCamp . Frers took stock of booking trends in Europe, explained the most significant differences in the preferences of European campers, explained the details of the important agreement made with with ANWB and TCS. Uwe Frers gave a date in Stockholm, Jan. 12, when the ADAC Camping Awards will be presented.
What have been the main trends in camping bookings in Europe over the past year? Have there been any significant changes from previous years?
“After the coronavirus years with all the travel restrictions, campers are returning to normal travel and vacation behavior. Campers book and travel to destinations as they did before the Corona. This is also reflected in the reservation figures: Croatia, Germany and Italy are again particularly popular. Camping has become more digital, and online bookings through portals such as PiNCAMP have increased dramatically. We were able to more than double the number of our reservations from 2022“.
For 2024, we are already seeing a sharp increase in early bookings who want to secure their favorite campground for the 2024 season. Other trends for 2024: labor and electrification. Many people can now work from the campsite and are connected to their company via WLAN. Among them are some newcomers who want to run their equipment on electricity instead of gas. And new and attractive camping destinations are being added: demand for camping vacations in Scandinavia and the Balkans is growing rapidly. This year, for example, bookings for Sweden increased by 237 percent.
Considering the wide coverage of PinCamp across Europe, what are the most significant differences in campers’ preferences across EU countries?
“There are not many differences. What all campers have in common is the feeling of freedom of camping and the pleasure of traveling independently as part of the camping community. Differences: Dutch campers do not make a big distinction between classic pitch camping and rental camping. In Germany it is quite different. Here there is a clear distinction between classic campers with tents, caravans, or RVs and people who seek the atmosphere of a campground but prefer to rent hotel-type accommodations, e.g., luxurious mobile homes or glamping tents at campgrounds. The overlap between these groups is not yet so great“
How do you foresee campers’ preferences or customer behavior might evolve in the coming year in Europe?
A representative survey of German campers showed that the most important criterion for choosing a campsite is no longer a special location (e.g., near water), but good on-site Wi-Fi. Online booking or online booking options also play an important role in choosing a campground. Another trend we see for the coming season: despite inflation, high fuel prices and an uncertain world situation, campers do not want to give up camping. On the other hand, campers are more likely to spend their annual vacation 10 days instead of 14 and are more likely to choose camping destinations that are not too far away.
What conditions enabled the strategic agreement with ANWB and TCS?
“The consolidation of the camping industry will accelerate in the coming years. Large international companies, backed by billions in private equity and venture capital, are trying to gain dominant positions in our industry. Individual local or national companies will find it increasingly difficult to survive in this intensifying competition. ADAC, ANWB and TCS have been active in the camping industry for more than 70 years. They recognized the importance of the camp from the beginning and supported the branch’s growth from the very beginning. For decades, clubs have been working in partnership, reliably and on an equal footing with campground entrepreneurs. And because of their structure, ADAC, ANWB and TCS with their businesses will not be for sale in the future, no matter who offers how much venture capital. If ADAC, ANWB and TCS want to continue to support the industry with all their might in the future, limited activities at the national level will no longer be competitive enough. To survive in the era of the platform economy, more investment and internationalization of activities are needed.
For this reason, ADAC, ANWB and TCS decided together to build an alternative model to global players with venture capital and oriented toward market domination.
By uniting the camping activities of ADAC, ANWB and TCS and investing an additional 6.6 million euros in the development of a jointly operated camping reservation portal, we clubs are sending an unmistakable signal to the industry, “We are creating a long-term basis for continuing our historically close cooperation with camping entrepreneurs in the digital world. We will continue to support the growth of the camp for the next seventy years. Fairly, collaboratively, reliably, at eye level.“
In a month’s time, the ADAC Camping Awards 2024 will be presented. What should we expect from this new edition of the event?
“The ADAC Camping Awards will be presented at the PiNCAMP Camping Gala in Stuttgart on January 12, 2024. This is the first time the “new” PiNCAMP will host this glamorous event. In addition to the ADAC Camping Awards, an ANWB awards ceremony will be held as part of this festive event. We will certainly offer a great show. With lots of surprises, lots of fun and first-class entertainment. See you in Stuttgart!“
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