Combining glamorous and sustainable travel has become a trend. Currently, glamping fascinates more and more people who would otherwise not be interested in camping holidays. At this year’s ITB Berlin Convention Marco Walter, managing director of ECOCAMPING, and Sergio Comino, director of Jesolo International, the multi award-winning camping site, presented their latest findings on the topic of glamping and on the connection between people’s lust for adventure, the demand for luxury and ecological awareness. Glamping has become especially popular with families, high earners and the over sixty-fives. Holidaymakers who love nature but who do not want to buy their own camping equipment spend their holidays in typical glamping accommodation. Besides luxury bungalows that includes lodge tents and original sleeping quarters such as tree houses, circus wagons, barrel cabins and tipis.

These luxurious forms of accommodation are no less well appointed than hotels. Whirlpools, double beds, cooking areas and one’s own bathroom are just some of the features that make glamping relaxing for newcomers to camping. According to the glamping portal Vacanceselect, in 2013 the figures for German and Austrian overnights in glamping accommodation rose by 18.5 per cent. In 2014 growth is expected to reach 29 per cent.

In addition to luxury products many glamping operators focus on sustainability, says Marco Walter, managing director of ECOCAMPING: “The customers targeted by glamping operators attach great importance to social and ecological awareness. That is why energy efficiency, saving resources and an eco-friendly design of sleeping quarters can be the deciders when booking a particular site.

According to Marco Walter, Jesolo International Club Camping is a good example of how to combine luxury features and camping. This friendly provider scores points by offering its guests more than 130 luxury holiday homes, an all-inclusive package and a high standard of service. Glamping is very successful at convincing non-campers that this type of holiday is worthwhile, says Marco Walter: “More than 90 per cent of the population in Europe never go camping. The potential here is huge, as glamping offers a high standard of quality at relatively cheap prices.”