Studies on the demand for camping in Germany

Project description

Vacation needs that were already important, such as individuality and closeness to nature, have become even more popular as a result of the pandemic, giving the camping segment an additional boost. The German Institute for Tourism Research has examined various aspects of demand for camping in Germany in two independent research projects to date in order to gain insights into this growing segment. The individual studies are described below.

Project description camping study 2021

The aim of the first study in 2021 was to gain insights into camping travel activity and Germans’ interest in camping during the coronavirus pandemic. Particular attention was paid to differentiating between “new campers”, who went camping for the first time during the pandemic, and “old campers” with camping experience from before the pandemic. In an online survey conducted by the respondi AG institute in November/December 2021, a total of 13,579 people aged 18 and over living in German-speaking private households in Germany were surveyed. This included n = 1,889 campers (including n = 1,592 old campers and n = 297 new campers) and n = 6,480 people interested in camping in the next 3 years. The questionnaire covered the following aspects:

• Camping travel activity during the coronavirus pandemic
• Important aspects of camping trips
• Requirements for camping trips during the corona pandemic
• Camping interest in the next 3 years
• Reasons for not being interested in camping trips in the next 3 years
• Also for new campers: For the first camping trip in the Corona pandemic:
• Influence of the corona pandemic on travel decisions
• Reasons for choosing a camping trip
• Experience of the first camping trip
• Additionally for the old campers:
• Camping travel experience before the corona pandemic
• Scope of travel activity since the start of the coronavirus pandemic
• Pandemic-related changes in interest in selected camping offers
• Perception of changes in the camping market

Project description camping study 2022

The second study in 2022 looked at various aspects of campsite choice among German campers, including the relevance of selected campsite features and services for campsite choice as well as media use for inspiration and information purposes when searching for a campsite. The results were examined for possible significant correlations with aspects of camping travel behaviour (e.g. chosen form of accommodation, travel organization from home or on the road) and campsite use (e.g. number of sites visited per trip), so that the study also provides detailed findings for individual groups of campers. In an online survey conducted by Innolink Germany GmbH in November/December 2022, which was representative of the population in terms of gender, age, place of residence and education, a total of 1,084 people aged 18-74 living in German-speaking private households in Germany who had taken at least one camping trip with four or more overnight stays and used a campsite in the last three years (2020 to 2022) were surveyed. The list of questions included the following aspects:

• Selected characteristics of usual camping travel behavior (travel companion, type of accommodation, planning of campsite visits) and campsite use (number of campsites per trip, length of stay per campsite)
• Relevance of selected features and services when choosing a campsite
• Use of selected media for inspiration and information when choosing a campsite
• Interest in selected digital services along the camping customer journey