Leisure Media Issue 3 2009 - Leisure Opportunities

HOTSEATParticipating farms earn extra income, allowing them to maintain the landscapeGOING ‘GLAMPING’A relatively recent trend, ‘glamping’,or glamorous camping, appealsto those who wouldn’t usuallydream of setting foot inside a tent,or who have grown out of camping.‘Glampsites’ offer plush tents withsoft beds, running water and warmth,providing guests with an outdoorcamping experience that boasts manyof the comforts of a holiday cottage.At the high end, hot tubs, massagesand caterers are on offer, and holidayscost the same as an expensive hotel.Slightly cheaper are stays in tipis andyurts – spacious, sturdy tents popularisedby Native Americans andCentral Asian nomads respectively.Sites offering tipi or yurt accomodationgenerally advocate holidays withlow carbon footprints, and gettingback to nature by cooking on openfires. The tents are often furnished.Reasonably priced and one stepup from camping is the camping pod.Timber-built (from locally-sourcedwood, of course, because glamping isvery green), with lockable patio doorsand insulated with sheeps’ wool,pods mean you can go camping withouta tent and you won’t get wet.Do people use the farm as a base toexplore the area or do they spendmost of their time on the farms?Eighty per cent of our business is fromshort breaks, and these holidaymakerstend to stay in and around the farm. Theyarrive on Friday night and settle in, lightingthe candles and the stove. The tent isreally great to experience.Some people do make it their mainsummer holiday, however. It’s really adomestic product, although we are startingto see some people from the UK andHolland going to France.What other activities areon offer besides interactionwith animals and the experience of the tent?Most farmers join Feather Down to broaden their income, soit’s up to them what they offer. Some farms have an offer withsmoke barrels to make stews over an open fire, as well aswood-fired oven dinners.Do the campers interact?Yes, without having a Hi-de-Hi! Atmosphere. There are no partiesor bingo nights, but most farms have a kind of communalbread oven supper or lunch once a week, where guests wouldhave a glass of wine or cider together.How do you ensure standards are maintained?We have regular meetings and agreed and shared minimum performancelevels. We also have a sophisticated guest enquirysystem and have lots of feedback from customers.How quickly can a farm becomeoperational from the first enquiry?We can turn it around within weeks. It’s my investment, there’s noinvestment from farmer unless he has to make changes on site.How many are you hoping to open?We aim for national coverage, focussingon the popular tourist destinations. So farit’s only a small scale concept. In the UK,London is the main target area and wehave about 20 so far.How many farms are there in total?40 or 50.What’s been the biggest challenge?Getting the finances in place!Was that made harder bythe current climate?Of course, although I had the financesarranged before the downturn and thecredit crunch isn’t evident in our bookings.What has been the highlight of your career?Oh, for sure it’s Feather Down. It’s been enjoyable and rewarding,and nice to work with farmers.What are your plans for the next 12 months?Continue as we do. We’re still quite young and in the buildingup phase. I want to carry on making all those countries worknicely and make sure the farms offer a great experience. Then Iwill be extremely happy.How about longer term?I have no fixed idea. We’ll continue to expand in Germany, theUS and France, and we may add one or two more countries,but that’s not an objective as such. I do have a strategy, butthere’s not a big business plan behind it – people approach usand that’s how it mostly works.What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?Be daring. Believe in yourself. ●22 Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digitalISSUE 3 2009 © cybertrek 2009