A Bit of Whit: If You Build It, They Won’t Come—Why Glamping Needs Marketing to Survive

You didn’t like that, did you?

No one would, especially those who have poured or intend to pour millions into developing glamping sites or campgrounds only to see nights drop off, proformas questioned, and investors second-guessing investing. However, after coming off the Glamping Show in Aurora just a week ago, I can’t help myself. During the opening presentation, according to the Glamping Show America’s annual glamping report the #2 concern for operators was marketing.

It’s a hard truth, and in 2024, we’re facing it. While the demand for glamping continues to grow—reaching over 22 million households in 2023—many operators are missing one critical ingredient: marketing, or at least a significant strategy for it. The rapid rise in camping, and particularly glamping, during the COVID-19 pandemic gave the sector a temporary boost that created a false sense of invincibility. Outdoor stays were booming, and this niche sector exploded as an incubator of "luxury in nature" experiences.

“That boom created a misconception—one that said if you built it, they’d come. This gave operators and investors a skewed vision of long-term viability, thinking that development and financing alone would sustain growth. As restrictions eased and traditional travel rebounded, the honeymoon ended, leaving many operators wondering why their carefully developed sites weren’t maintaining occupancy levels.”

What was overlooked during this boom was the strategic necessity of marketing. Sustainable success requires more than just capital investment in accommodations. The pandemic gave the sector a spotlight. Now, as we move past that unprecedented surge, it’s time to recognize that without a solid marketing strategy, a cool yurt or dome will not sustain occupancy. Operators who ignore this are finding themselves with stunning sites but empty bookings.

Spending over a decade at a franchise company leading marketing, I was amazed that while the first reason to be a franchise was marketing, we had to fight to be at the table. At one point in my career our team was literally called the font police. While it was in jest, it revealed a lot of truth behind the perceived value of marketing and marketers.

“Here’s where the real disconnect lies: marketing is an afterthought. Often in the development years the only marketing dollars are for signs and the website build. We have web developers doing “brand design” and architects and engineers building the guest experience. Rarely do we see a marketer hired to build a brand BEFORE the engineer or significant development costs put to launch strategy.”

Then once the property is operating, there is a meagre 3-5% allocated to marketing. According to Gartner, companies in any sector spend an average of 12% on marketing.Compare that to hoteliers who often spend 12-25% of their revenue on marketing, according to Kalibri Labs. That’s right—up to a quarter of their revenue is dedicated to ensuring they capture market share. Yes, hotels are fighting in a much more mature, competitive industry, where every booking counts. They compete both with other hotels and with other platforms like Airbnb, all while vying for the attention of a global, travel-savvy audience. Hotels have to be present across numerous channels—online travel agencies, direct bookings, metasearch engines, and even influencer marketing—just to stay relevant and visible.

For glamping, the challenge is different but no less pressing. While the competition may not be as concentrated on a location basis, the battle is for awareness. Glamping is still emerging as a mainstream option, and without strong marketing efforts, operators risk never even making it into a traveller’s consideration set. It’s not just about creating a unique, beautiful destination—if people don’t know we exist, they won’t come.

“Glamping operators need to approach marketing with the same rigour as hotels, viewing it as essential to their success rather than a secondary expense. Without significant investment in building brand recognition and visibility, even the most well-developed site will struggle to fill its bookings. “

Building a glamping brand without an upfront investment in marketing means we’ll end up waiting for months for traffic to trickle in. Where our occupancy sits in the proforma or budget for next year is directly correlated to the dollars and detail we put into marketing and our marketing team.

Glamping and camping companies that excel understand this principle. They didn’t just build amazing accommodations. They invest in brand building, ad strategy, SEO, influencers, strategic partnerships and public relations campaigns to stay ahead. It’s a reminder that marketing isn’t optional—it’s essential. It’s the customer and the cashflow. So here’s the new narrative: Marketing…if you build it in, they will come. Without that, we’re just creating something beautiful and vacant. Until next time, Keep your head, heels and standards high my friends!

Written by Whitney Scott

Hospitality Strategist, Walden