Things have changed in Swedish camping. Investments are larger. Pricing decisions carry more weight. And the financial consequences of getting them wrong are greater than they were just a few years ago. Yet, until recently, structured benchmarking data tailored to this part of the visitor economy has been limited.
That’s why we built Camping Trends, a dedicated benchmarking solution for camping sites that delivers comparable market data, both historically and forecasting, and a clearer foundation for strategic decisions. But what does that mean for you who works with revenue management, in practice? Let’s take a closer look.
Whether you own the land or lease it, whether you manage 80 plots or 800, the underlying economics are the same. Empty capacity is lost revenue, and underpricing peak demand quietly eats into margin. Missing these opportunities doesn’t hurt once — it compounds over time.
You adjust pricing between peak weeks and shoulder season. You carry staffing, maintenance and infrastructure costs that don’t magically shrink just because bookings slow down. And most importantly, you compete for real demand in a real market.
Most days, that responsibility may feel manageable. You know your site and your guests. But here’s the question that tends to surface in quieter months: are you making those decisions with the same level of market insight that hotels have relied on for years?
Camping Trends exists for one simple reason: Camping deserves proper data. Not rough estimates, but true, structured benchmarking built around how camping actually works today.
If camping deserves proper benchmarking, a fair question follows: why now? Because until recently, the foundation wasn’t there.
Imagine comparing performance across sites when occupancy, capacity and revenue are measured differently from one operator to another. The numbers may look precise, but they are not speaking the same language.
So, before you can compare performance, you need to define performance. What does occupancy mean when you have both lots and cabins? Which indicators truly reflect demand and revenue strength in a camping context?
Camping Trends was built by answering those questions. With broad, precise data flowing from the systems camping operators actually use, we can compare performance on equal terms. And when the comparison is fair, the insight becomes actionable. Decisions about pricing, season extension and investment can finally be grounded in context rather than assumption.
Seasonality is not new to you. July often fills up. The challenge is rarely peak demand. The real pressure lives in the margins of the season.
Picture late September. The weather is still decent. The facilities are open. Staff are scheduled. You walk through the site and see empty plots that could have been filled. The question is not whether you prefer them full. The question is whether they could have been full.
Was demand weak everywhere, or just at your site?
Were competitors running campaigns you didn’t see?
Was pricing aligned with actual demand, or slightly off?
Without reliable comparative data, those questions linger.
An empty plot represents lost accommodation revenue, lower on-site spending and fixed costs that continue regardless. Larger facilities with pools and activity areas carry operational commitments that require thoughtful revenue management, even if the cost structure differs from hotels.
Benchmarking data does not eliminate seasonality. But it tells you whether opportunity exists to capture. It reduces the risk of discounting unnecessarily and holding prices when demand is softer than expected. It replaces “I think” with “I know.”
By sharing your own data, you gain access to unique market insights across the camping industry. In return, you can see how your site performs compared to similar properties in your region and segment — based on clearly defined, camping-specific KPIs such as occupancy for camping and cabins, average daily rate and revenue per available camping lot.
Camping Trends also integrates directly with leading camping PMS systems such as CompuSoft and DLBOOKIT (with additional integrations underway). Your occupancy and revenue data flow automatically into a structured benchmarking environment, eliminating manual exports and fragmented comparisons.
That means you can:
We developed Camping Trends in dialogue with Visita, whose mission is to strengthen the Swedish visitor economy. The need for better and more structured camping data has been raised within the industry itself. The solution has been tested before broader rollout to ensure it reflects real operational conditions.
As Thomas Jakobsson, Chief Economist at Visita, highlights:
— It’s hard to overstate the importance of data. To run a business successfully over time, operators need a continuous understanding of their position and performance within the market. Relying on instinct alone is no longer enough.
He continues:
— At Visita, we work to create the best possible conditions for our member companies, from regulation and taxation to infrastructure investments. A critical part of that work is being able to present the industry and its development in a credible and up-to-date way.
This collaboration is important. It signals that the initiative is not imposed from outside, but anchored in your industry and aligned with its continued professionalization.
The next few camping seasons won’t be decided by luck. They’ll be shaped by how deliberately you choose to work.
Imagine two operators five years from now:
The difference between those two approaches will add up over time. So here’s the question: which operator do you want to be? The one reacting to the market, or the one reading it?
Camping is becoming more professional. The competitive gaps will widen. The question is whether you’re working with the visibility needed to stay ahead. Book a free demo of the Benchmarking Alliance platform if you want to explore how structured benchmarking works in practice, and how we can support your pricing and strategic decisions.