camping tourism
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants (known as campers) leave urban areas, their home region, orcivilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no shelter at all. In many parts of the world, 'camping' refers exclusively to the use of tents or similar portable structures.
Camping as a recreational activity became popular in the early 20th century. Camping has recently enjoyed a huge surge in popularity. From being the preserve of socks-and-sandals, thermos-of-tea types, it has evolved into the trendy travel alternative for free-spirited, independent types who prefer to wake to the sound of birdsong rather than the sound of traffic, enjoy cooking up their meals on a stove and relish the beautiful rural settings. Choose the best places to camp, with a stunning variety of rural landscapes to choose from: mountains, rolling countryside, beaches and woodlands, although they can also be conveniently located just outside towns or cities. A great way to experience nature at first hand, camping is also the cheapest form of accommodation - and the most flexible. Whether you're a family looking for an active, outdoorsy holiday or a group of friends who want to be near the action but are on a tight budget, camping offers an affordable and rewarding way to see the worlds attractions.
A camp site must provide some or all of the following onsite amenities: camp pitches, showers, toilets, campers kitchens and picnic areas. The range of amenities varies according to the type of site. To qualify for the minimum standard category, campsites should be easily accessible, and must have basic facilities such as: water, separate male and female toilet/washing facilities, wet weather shelter (a simple barn structure) and a camping area capable of providing a secure environment for visitors.
Camper classifications range from one to four stars. The higher the rating, the higher the quality of service. For example, a four star will require a better equipped camper’s kitchen with wash-up facilities, worktops and suitable seating. It is often the off-site amenities that attract people to a camping site such as the opportunity to go walking or mountain climbing. Some of the best camping sites in are located in beautifully scenic areas. They serve as an excellent base for campers in which they can easily explore the surrounding area.
The share of campsite accommodation capacity in relation to total accommodation capacity gives an idea of the relative importance of camping in total tourism accommodation. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that campsite capacity is generally used over a shorter period than other types of collective accommodation, which tend to receive guests all year round.
Ecotourism embraces the principles of sustainable tourism, concerning the economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism. Ecotourism is defined as: "Tourism that consists in traveling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated natural areas with the specific objective of studying, admiring, and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural manifestations (both past and present) found in these areas”. According to its definition, ecotourism involves a broad spectrum of activities related to nature. At one end of this spectrum, some market segments are relatively small and well defined such as a specialized ornithologist or those who seek out rare species. At the other end, one might have people who casually observe and enjoy scenic beauty while on trips taken primarily for another purposes.
The Mediterranean region remains a key world zone for tourism activity. This region accounts for nearly one-third of the world total international tourist arrivals and 26% of world tourism receipts. Coastal tourism activity constitutes the main type of tourism of most Mediterranean destinations. A high proportion of Mediterranean destination countries have allocated extensive areas in which developed tourism resorts are situated (e.g. areas in Tunisia). These zones may offer little interaction between visitors and locals. Increasingly, growing numbers of politicians, entrepreneurs, and ordinary people are becoming aware of the importance for sustainable tourism development. Some areas are still virgin whilst others have witnessed a pronounced destruction of their natural
environment as a result of development processes.
France was the country with the highest number of nights spent on campsites, where 98.8 million nights were recorded in 2008. Italy and the United Kingdom followed with 65.2 and 61.4 million overnight stays respectively. Spain came well behind these three leading countries with 31.1 million nights, less than a third of the number of nights spent in France.
In 2008, campsite capacity represented 37.0% of total accommodation capacity in the European
Union. However, the relative importance of camping in relation to total accommodation capacity varies significantly from country to country. The countries with the most camping facilities (i.e. highest shares of campsite capacity in relation to the country’s total accommodation capacity) recorded more than 50% of total bed places on campsites. Luxembourg came first with 71.9% followed by Denmark with 71.8%, and France, Sweden and the Netherlands (64.3%, 63.4%, and 60.7% respectively). Portugal, the United Kingdom, Finland and Italy are in the group with between 30% and 40% of their accommodation capacity on campsites. For countries like Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Latvia or Romania on the other hand, camping is of minor importance with a campsite accommodation capacity of less than 10%.
