Holidaying in camping trailer gaining traction in India

Tribune News Service

Vijay C Roy

Chandigarh, October 3

As the country’s tourism sector tries to rebuild after the Covid pandemic, holidaying in a camping trailer or campervans have caught the imagination of Indian travellers. According to tour planners, the segment of people holidaying at camp sites is growing fast and in the past 24 months, its market share has increased considerably.

Once considered a post-retirement venture, camping trailers or campervans are today’s hotels-on-wheels, and are trending as one of the safest travel alternatives, as travellers can soak in the great outdoors on their own timetable of check-in and check-out, at a safe and sanitised distance.

According to tour operators, a majority of the options for camping are available in the North, followed by the South and the West. In the North, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are popular states for camping whereas in South, it is Karnataka, and in West, Maharashtra and Gujarat are the most frequented states.

“Despite constraints, camping activity is increasing in the North, driven especially by the youth. We foresee a huge opportunity in the near future in this segment. Improved road connectivity and the availability of mobile coverage have helped to drive the shift,” said Gagan Sachdeva, proprietor, IV Holidays.

Secondly, youngsters, families and the millennials today are looking for more personalised and curated holidays that are not confined to the disconnected enclosure of a hotel room or the ‘been there done that’ holiday spots listed on the websites. They want a one-of-a-kind adventure, a road trip they can enjoy on their terms and time.

“Camping culture is on the rise, which is evident from the demand we are witnessing. While across India, imported caravans and recreation vehicles are available on rent, our camping trailers are the only ones being designed, manufactured and sold across the world,” says founder and owner of Fatehgarh Sahib-based Bullston, Harjit S Rai, who has lived in Italy and the US and was a show jumper himself, and an entrepreneur.

On his return to India, he started manufacturing horse trailers for their safe transportation, but during the Covid, he noticed a trend — how people were yearning to travel, but at a safe distance, new unexplored locations, and back to nature. So, he started designing and developing the bumper-pull camper trailers, among multiple other trailers, including those for utility, farming, transport and equestrian needs.

These under-700 kg beauties come with a queen-size bed, charging points, solar panels, rooftop tent option, kitchenette, shower area and have an impenetrable steel body with wooden finish.

Foresee a huge opportunity

Despite constraints, camping activity is increasing in the North, driven especially by the youth. We foresee a huge opportunity in the near future in this segment. — Gagan Sachdeva, proprietor, IV holidays

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