The campsite operators in Germany are again expecting a strong season due to continued high demand. But not only the classic campsites are in demand.
In the year after the Corona pandemic, Germany is also experiencing a real camping boom that does not seem to be abating despite rising prices. Christian Günther, Managing Director of the Federal Association of the Camping Industry in Germany (BVCD), predicts that the record of around 40 million overnight stays from the previous year will at least be maintained – provided the weather is good. Günther predicts that demand will continue to grow in the coming years.
Partly difficult parking space search
The immense rush to the campsites is particularly evident on the long weekends in May and June. According to Günther, camping has now become a real “mass phenomenon”, so that it can be difficult to find a free pitch in some places.
However, inflation does not go unnoticed by the camping industry either and is likely to be reflected “here and there” with price increases of ten percent, but this does not noticeably reduce demand. “We don’t notice that the guests save massively on vacation,” says Günther.
Camping at the winery or farm is in demand
However, the camping boom is no longer limited to classic campsites. Alternative offers such as camping at a winery, on a farm or on an orchard are becoming increasingly popular and can be found in many regions of Germany with just a few clicks on the Internet.
According to the BVCD, there are around 3,100 campsites across Germany with around 230,000 tourist pitches for mobile homes, caravans and caravans. The annual turnover of the camping industry amounts to around five billion euros.
The tent is also making a comeback
Not only mobile homes and caravans are in demand, the original variant of camping with a tent, sleeping bag and gas cooker is also enjoying increasing popularity again. According to the camping.info portal, holidaymakers are increasingly opting for this simple and inexpensive way of spending the night outdoors. Many campsites have their own pitches for tents, which are located away from the mobile home and caravan sites.
An estimated ten million Germans occasionally go camping or caravanning, two million of them regularly. The self-determination and independence, the proximity to nature and the possibility of a flexible and spontaneous holiday plan are the main reasons for a camping holiday. Among German camping holidaymakers, their own country is the most popular, followed by warmer regions such as Italy and France.