Glamping FAQs for Start-up Glamping Businesses
There’s no doubt that 2021 is the year to start a glamping business! With COVID-19 travel restrictions in place, everyone’s looking to explore more of Australia and seek new experiences along the way. Thus, glamping is the perfect solution.
Glamping allows guests the opportunity to perhaps get off the beaten track and nestle into a remote land or untapped escape bursting with beauty and serenity. If your property is postcardesque; worthy of appearing on a postcard, whether it’s a maroon outback setting or lush tropical landscape, you have the key ingredient to start a glamping business.
At Eco Tents Australia, we know a thing or two about helping start-up glamping businesses get up and running. From planning to financing, and of course, providing glamping tents, we’ve helped Australians – from established and renowned accommodation provided to mum and dad operators, kick-start their glamping business with quality advice and products. Today, we’d like to extend our help to you.
Whether you’ve been in the accommodation industry for years and are looking to branch out into the glamping sector or have just quit your day job to fulfil a dream, we have the answers to all your burning questions.
Continue reading to discover answers to the most important glamping questions for start-up glamping businesses.
How much does it cost to start a glamping business?
The cost to start a glamping business will vary from case to case, mainly depending on whether or not you already have land to use. If you have land suitable for running a glamping business, you will save yourself a great deal of money in the start-up phase.
Providing you already own the land, the cost to start a glamping business can be as little as $30,000 or as much as $200,000. It depends on the quality of the glamping tents you invest in and how many tents you purchase.
Remember, the higher the quality of the glamping tent, the more attractive they will be to guests and the higher the nightly rate you can ask. As an estimate, you should expect to pay around $25,000 per tent for The Eco Tent, which includes accessories.
On top of the cost of the glamping tents, you have to consider other associated costs such as promotion, branding, website etc., and commission for bookings, which varies from 5% to 20% depending on where you list your glamping accommodation. Popular options include TripAdvisor, Airbnb, GlampingHub, and Glamping.com.
Don’t forget to factor in insurances, electricity costs, maintenance costs, equipment cost, staffing costs etc.
What do you need to start a glamping business?
As mentioned, land is the key ingredient for start-up glamping businesses. However, just as important is the glamping tent itself. For this, you have various options, including our eco glamping tents, which are 100% Australian made.
In addition to the glamping tents, you need to provide furnishings and other elements the elevate your accommodation to differentiate it from standard camping. Common glamping tent furnishings include bedframe, mattress, bedsides, wardrobe, sofa chair, sofa lounge, coffee table, rug, mirror, table setting, lamps, etc.
You may also like to offer experiences/activities such as fishing, canoeing, kayaking, etc., which also need equipment or luxury add-ons such as a hot tub. Such items will also obviously add to the costs of starting a glamping business too.
You may also need staff. If you are looking to open on a big scale, with more than five glamping tents, then, more than likely, you will need to hire staff to help run the business. The tents need cleaning and bed linen changing after each visit (or each night if you’re aiming for high-end luxury).
The land itself also has to be maintained to keep its postcardesque appearance, which may require additional equipment such as a ride on mower.
It’s important to consider every single element when developing your business plan and budget.
What facilities do you need to start a glamping business?
Glamping businesses need more than just land and glamping tents. They also need facilities. Remember, glamping is all about providing the camping experience with life’s luxuries. Therefore, you will also need to build communal toileting and bathing facilities. You may even have a communal kitchen. Other facilities to consider include waste systems, gas storage and electrical installations, amongst other things.
If you build a communal facility for toileting and bathing, you will also need to apply for a building permit along with a glamping permit.
One way to avoid building a toileting and bathing facility is to include a shower and toilet in the individual glamping tents. Doing so will save you the added hassle of applying for the building permit while providing your guest’s extra privacy, equating to asking for higher nightly rates.
Not many glamping tent manufacturers offer such an option, but Eco Tents Australia do! Our Family Plus size tents have the additional option of having a specially designed ensuite pod installed, providing guests with their very own washbasin, shower and toilet. Contact our sales representative to find out more on +61 418 717 197 or email sales@ecotentsaustralia.com.au.
Do you need permission to set up a glamping business?
In most cases, yes, you will need to apply for a permit to operate as a glamping business in Australia. However, there is no clear-cut answer on how to go about this. Each state and local council differs in terms of the requirements.
The number of tents, the zoning and location of your land, the use and facilities available, and whether your land passes a bushfire hazard assessment are just some of the possible factors assessed when applying for a permit. Insurance against bushfires is also required before a permit is approved.
To find out whether you need to apply for a permit, get in touch with your local council’s Environmental Health Officer.
Is glamping a profitable business?
Glamping businesses in Australia can make a great profit, but it takes planning and budgeting. A glamping business is just like any other business. To be profitable, you need to make more than you spend, which can be difficult when the critical component of glamping is luxury.
It’s easy to get carried away with luxury additions, but you need to remember it is a business, not a hobby, and that every dollar you spend has to make you money, not cost you more money.
Running a profitable glamping business is achievable so long as you stick to your business plan. It pays to invest in professional financial assistance, such as an accountant who can provide profit projections based on realistic guest numbers.
Eco Tents Australia offers flexible funding options for start-up glamping businesses such as yourself. We crunched some numbers and estimated that a glamping business could profit as much as $30k per year per tent based on the tent being booked three nights per week at $195.00 per night. These are very conservative figures. We expect you to get a higher average than three nights a week and $195.00 per night with the right location and promotion.
The key to projecting profit is to study the market. Go to the accommodation sites mentioned earlier in this article and look at what other glamping businesses are asking per night based on a similar setting and accommodation to what you expect to offer. Also, pay attention to the latest data research from Tourism Research Australia to track the interest in glamping. With this information, you should be able to form a reasonable budget and know how much money you can invest into your glamping tents to yield a good profit.
Conclusion
If you’re considering starting up a glamping business in Australia, now’s the perfect time to do so. With glamping interest at an all-time high, there’s never been a better time to expand your current accommodation offerings or quit your day job and enter the glamping industry, and Eco Tents Australia is just the company to help you in your endeavours.
We are one of Australia’s largest and most experienced glamping tent manufacturers and have helped countless glamping businesses get set up across Australia, and we’d like to help you!
For start-up glamping businesses, the most important things to consider are the cost to start a glamping business, what you need to get the business up and running, including permits, and how to ensure your glamping business is profitable.
These are just some of the questions we’ve answered in this article. To find out more or to discover whether or not our Eco Tents will be profitable in your business model, please contact our sales representative. You can call +61 418 717 197 or email sales@ecotentsaustralia.com.au. Alternatively, please complete our online quote for glamping tent costings.
