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A12 BUSINESS
Thursday 6 July 2023

More travelers get cozy with glamping,

even amid high costs

which includes a queen
sofa bed in addition to
the king bed (thus better
for families) can run nearly
$850 per night on autumn
weekends.
Under Canvas is among
the biggest glamping op-
erators. Another is Auto-
Camp, which offers can-
vas tents as well as other
accommodations includ-
ing Airstream trailers.
A weekend stay at Auto-
Camp Zion this fall can cost
about $570per night after
taxes and fees. A larger
The view of Mount Rushmore located just a few miles away from campsite with an Airstream
Under Canvas Mount Rushmore tent cabins near Keystone, S.D. and tent (large enough for
Associated Press six) can cost nearly $900
nightly. Yet such prices
aren’t turning off travelers;
glamping is exploding in
By SALLY FRENCH of Nerd- Parties who camped spent popularity.
Wallet just $149, according to a In 2022, an estimated 10.5
Camping can be one of Department of the Interior million households went
the cheapest ways to trav- 2021 visitor spending re- glamping, up from an es-
el. Yet a relatively new style port. That’s a 58% discount timated 7.7 million house-
of camping is proliferating for visitors willing to ex- holds in 2020. That’s ac-
by some metrics and it’s change concrete for can- cording to the 2023 North
glamping. vas. But canvas doesn’t al- American Camping &
Glamping is a fusion of lux- ways connote cost savings. Outdoor Hospitality Re-
ury and nature, where tents That is, if you’re glamping. port from Kampgrounds
are filled with plush pillows, For example, you might of America (KOA), which
and some even have pri- pay $650 per night after runs more than 500 camp-
vate bathrooms with heat- taxes and resort fees at Un- grounds across the United
ed, running water. Camp- der Canvas Zion as part of States. and Canada.
grounds typically are out- a glamping trip to Utah’s CAMPING COOLS DOWN
fitted with fast Wi-Fi, and Zion National Park this fall. Camping of all kinds took
such camping activities as Situated about 30 minutes off at the beginning of the
pitching a tent and start- from the park’s entrance, pandemic.
ing a fire are already done the resort’s accommoda- In 2019, 23.5 million North
for you. But the blend of tions include safari-inspired American households said
outdoor glamor with hotel tents with beds, bathrooms, they camped in tradi-
comfort commands prices hot showers and wood- tional tents, a figure that
more expensive than those burning stoves. There’s no ballooned 31% to 30.8 mil-
of high-end hotels. It’s also electricity, but guests can lion in 2020, according to
a sharp contrast to what borrow USB battery packs KOA’s survey.
traditional campers spend. to keep devices charged. By 2021, that had grown
U.S. national park visitors in The resort fee covers all- by an even sharper 50.2%
2021 spent, on average, you-can-roast s’mores, live compared with 2019, to
$351 daily per group on music and yoga classes. 35.3 million.
traditional lodging outside That $650 covers the entry- In 2022, traditional camp-
the parks, such as hotels or level tent, which accom- ing enthusiasts dropped off
bed-and-breakfast estab- modates two adults via a to levels lower than 2020’s
lishments. king bed. The suite tent, numbers, back to about
30.4 million households.
Camping of all kinds ac-
counted for 40% of all
North American vacations
in 2021 but dropped to
32% in 2022. Some people
might have gotten over
camping, but that’s only if
your definition of camping
means pitching your own
tent and starting your own
fire.q