10 Trends Shaping the Future of the UK Glamping Market

The UK glamping market is growing. That was the focus of another seminar I attended at The Glamping Show 2026, The Future of the UK Glamping Market: Identifying the Trends That Will Shape the Industry, presented by Joby Mussell, Chief Commercial Officer at Glampingstays.

Glampingstays specialises in unique glamping accommodation across the UK and Ireland and is part of Travel Chapter. Joby’s talk drew on its Glamping Horizon Report, combining a survey of 1,502 UK adults, five years of booking data and ten future-focused consumer trends.

The outlook for glamping is certainly positive.

Research from Glampingstays found that 60% of Brits have either already been glamping or are planning a glamping trip, while that figure rises to 81% amongst Gen Z.

But what I found most interesting wasn’t simply that more people want to go glamping. It was why.

Guests are looking for unique experiences, Instagram-worthy stays, opportunities to reconnect with nature, greater flexibility and more memorable ways to spend their time.

So, what will influence the glamping guest of the future?

1. The deregulation of life

The traditional boundaries between work, home and holidays aren't as rigid as they once were. Hybrid and remote working accelerated massively during Covid, and that's created much more flexibility around when and how people travel.

A Thursday doesn't necessarily need to be a working day in an office anymore. Someone can finish work remotely on Friday afternoon from a cabin in Wales and already be on their weekend break.

There's also an opportunity around spontaneous escapes. Joby discussed last-minute bookings and the desire people have to simply get away and recharge.

What does this mean for hosts? Think beyond the traditional Friday to Sunday stay. Could you offer more flexible arrival days? One night stays? Last minute availability? Workation packages? Reliable Wi-Fi and somewhere comfortable to work?

And importantly, are you marketing those possibilities? An empty Wednesday night isn't necessarily unsellable. You might just be selling it to the wrong person.

2. The changing shape of life

Our households are changing too. People are having children later, more people are choosing not to have children at all, and the traditional idea of what a family or household looks like continues to evolve.

That creates opportunities for glamping businesses to think much more specifically about the people they're targeting. Adult-only retreats, romantic breaks, friendship getaways, solo stays, multigenerational family holidays, dog-friendly escapes.

The opportunity isn't necessarily to cater for all of them; it’s to understand which ones fit your business.

3. Varied consumer demand

There isn't one "glamping customer”. One guest might book your cabin because they want to switch their phone off, walk for miles and disappear from everyday life. Another might book exactly the same cabin because they want a luxury romantic weekend involving a hot tub, a bottle of wine and absolutely no walking whatsoever.

Same accommodation. Completely different motivation.

That's why understanding your audience matters so much. Who books you? Why do they book you? And what are they really buying?

Don't assume. Look at your reviews. Talk to your guests. Look at the content they share. Look at the questions they ask and the reasons they give for visiting.

The better you understand the motivation behind the booking, the easier your marketing becomes.

4. The joy of missing out

We've spent years talking about FOMO (the fear of missing out). Now there's another trend gaining ground: JOMO (the joy of missing out).

People actively want to escape noise, notifications, routines and busy everyday life. And glamping fits beautifully into that. It gives people many of the things they love about camping, nature, fresh air, fires, stars, countryside and a slower pace without necessarily asking them to wrestle with tent poles in the rain.

Sometimes the experience you're selling isn't more things to do. It's permission to do absolutely nothing. That can be a powerful message in your marketing.

5. Discovering Britain

Another behaviour accelerated by Covid was our rediscovery of what's on our own doorstep. International travel obviously returned, but the UK break hasn't disappeared with it.

Glampingstays' research found 70% of Brits want to explore more of the UK. People are supplementing their bigger overseas holidays with shorter breaks closer to home.

That's an opportunity for glamping businesses to stop thinking of their location as simply the bit of the website underneath the postcode.

Your destination is part of your product. What's within 20 minutes? Where's the best pub? What walk starts from your gate? What's the hidden gem guests miss? What can families do when it rains? Celebrate where you are. And create content around it.

6. AI discovery

This came up again. And after Sarah Riley's seminar on The Visibility Shift, it's very clear this is something the industry is paying attention to.

People are changing the way they search for travel. Instead of searching Google for:

"Glamping Lake District"

Someone can ask an AI platform:

"Find me a secluded glamping cabin in the Lake District for a couple, with a private hot tub, dog-friendly walks nearby, a good pub within walking distance and availability for a two-night break next month."

That's a much more precise request. And if guests are becoming more precise in how they search, hospitality businesses need to become more precise in how they describe what they offer.

Your website needs to make it incredibly clear who you are, where you are, who you're suitable for, what's nearby and what makes your stay different. Get AI-ready.

7. Demand for experiences

We're not simply selling somewhere to sleep anymore. Guests increasingly want the experience surrounding the accommodation.

Wellness. Wild swimming. Saunas. Yoga. Stargazing. Foraging. Farm-to-table dining. Private chefs. Guided walks. Paddleboarding. Local food.

You don't necessarily have to provide all of those things yourself either. Who could you partner with locally? Could a local yoga teacher run private sessions? Could a nearby restaurant provide a breakfast hamper? Could a walking guide create a route exclusively for your guests? Could you offer discounted access to a nearby attraction?

Experiences can increase the perceived value of the stay without requiring you to build another accommodation unit.

8. Premiumisation

Glamping isn't necessarily the "cheap alternative" to a hotel anymore. For many guests, it's a premium stay in its own right. And they're prepared to pay more when the experience justifies it.

That means the details matter. Premium bedding. Great mattresses. Beautiful toiletries. Quality towels. Good coffee. Thoughtful interiors. Private outdoor spaces.

And yes, Wi-Fi.

Because somebody can want to escape everyday life and still want a leisurely scroll through Instagram from their hot tub. Sometimes luxury is simply everything working exactly as the guest hoped it would.

9. Quality over quantity

Another interesting shift is the willingness to spend more on a shorter, better experience. Instead of stretching a budget across a longer break, some guests would rather have two exceptional nights than five average ones. That's important when thinking about both pricing and marketing.

Don't automatically assume that value means offering more nights for less money. For the right audience, the value might be: fewer nights, but a much better stay.

That also comes back to experience-led hospitality. What could make a two-night stay feel genuinely special?

10. Sustainability

Consumers increasingly care about the environmental impact of the businesses they choose. And glamping has a natural connection with this because so much of its appeal is rooted in nature.

But simply being surrounded by trees doesn't automatically make a business sustainable. Guests are becoming more aware of what businesses actually do.

Renewable energy. Local suppliers. Low-waste products. Recycling. Responsible water use. EV charging. Rewilding. Local food. Eco-friendly toiletries. Supporting conservation.

You don't need to be perfect. But if sustainability is genuinely part of how you operate, talk about it.

Tell guests what you're doing and why.

What does all of this mean for glamping businesses?

Glamping will always have an element of seasonality. You can't change the British weather but you can change who you're speaking to, why they might visit and what you're giving them a reason to book.

A midweek workation guest isn't necessarily looking for the same thing as a couple celebrating an anniversary. A family booking for August isn't motivated by the same thing as somebody desperately looking for a quiet cabin in November because they've had enough of emails and need 48 hours in a hot tub.

The accommodation hasn't changed. The reason for booking has. And that's where these trends become useful.

Don't simply read a list of consumer trends and think that's interesting.

Look at your quieter periods.

Look at your existing guests.

Look at your location.

Look at your experience.

Then ask:

Which of these trends could we genuinely tap into?

Maybe it's promoting last-minute one-night escapes during quieter months.

Maybe it's repositioning certain units as adult-only romantic retreats.

Maybe it's creating a workation page on your website.

Maybe it's partnering with a local wellness business.

Maybe it's producing destination content that helps you appear in Google and AI searches.

Maybe it's investing in the little premium touches that allow you to increase your nightly rate.

Or maybe it's simply getting much clearer about who your ideal guest actually is.

Because the UK glamping market might be growing, but more demand also means more competition.

The businesses that benefit won't necessarily be the ones with the most units. They'll be the ones that understand why their guests travel, what they're looking for and how to make their particular stay the answer.