Why you should be thinking about setting up an eco-retreat
Landowners:
Why you should be thinking about setting up an eco-retreat in the UK
The rise of UK Tourism, Spirituality, Conservation & Wellness – and how you can be a part of it.
Are you looking to generate revenue from your land or wishing to re-structure your existing rural leisure business? Do you have a beautiful, natural location rich in trees, wildlife and biodiversity to offer to discerning guests wishing to escape city living and connect to the environment?
If so, you should really be thinking about joining the pioneers of the eco-tourism industry which is beginning to emerge as a likely forerunner in the UK Leisure sector over the next decade and we’ll show you why.
There are some key trends that are worth looking into before jumping into a new venture, we’ll explain which are the ones we think show true promise and why.
We’ll be breaking this blog into four segments
PART 1 – Tourism
PART 2 – Eco-Tourism
PART 3 – Spirituality
PART 4 – Ecotherapy & Wellness
TOURISM
The UK Leisure industry is one of the fastest growing industries; currently estimated to be worth over £200 billion to the UK economy and forecast to be worth £257 billion by 2025. One of the contributory factors could be the a rise in the ‘staycation’ holiday market which really started picking up some steam in 2010 and in particular, the Glamping industry (think Yurts, cabins, tree-houses, upcycled Gypsy Caravans and exquisitely crafted Shepherds Huts and you’re on the money).
You needn’t spend too much time analysing market reports or VisitEngland statistics to see what’s happening, for this trend is exemplified by the popularity of British Television programmes such as “George Clarkes Amazing Spaces” and the emergence of uber-fashionable and super successful UK Glamping Travel Agencies such as Alistair Sawday’s “Canopy and Stars” and Tim Rees “Quality Unearthed” at the forefront of the trend. (And it’s not a trend, by the way, our sources indicate that this is most definitely a growth curve which looks set to continue).
A large percentage of people are now trading in their traditional 2 week vacation abroad in favour of several long weekend-breaks and mini-breaks to work around their careers/businesses and families.
Oliver Smith, digital travel editor of the Telegraph writes:
“Travelodge now claims that, despite recent poor weather, holidays at home are back in demand. Its annual holiday report, which featured a survey of 3,000 adults, revealed that 65 per cent of people would be taking a summer holiday in Britain this year – up from 41 per cent last year, and 35 per cent in 2011.”
In November we exhibited at the ‘Farm Business Innovation Show’ and boy, they should’ve re-named that show “Glamping Innovation Show” for there were more leisure buildings and glamping/self-catering cottage travel agents present than any other type of product or service.
The sheer diversity of overnight accommodation units now being utilised by farmers and landowners to generate a return is quite staggering. The most desirable are Safari Tents, Shepherds Huts, Modular Cabins, Eco-Lodges, Treehouses, Yurts, eco-pods, bell-tents, Ti-Pi’s, gypsy caravans, timber-framed luxury cabins and modular garden buildings, bbq huts and of course, the Rotunda. It makes sense to select the type of building which best suits your business and client base.
Many people rent out small cabins and yurts from £650.00 for a weekend, £2,000 for a week or £10,000.00 for a year (Amy Andrew: www.thisismoney.co.uk/)
If you had a beautiful paddock, for example and a budget of £5,000.00 for your capital investment it would be worth considering a tent or a Ti-Pi for an authentic glamping retreat. Conversely, a landowner of a country estate with a 4* hotel wishing to expand on their current offering may be more inclined to budget ten times this amount for an exclusive lodge, treehouse or Roundhouse.
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ECO-TOURISM
This leads us into the Eco-Tourism industry, cited to be the fastest growing sector within the rapidly expanding tourism industry. A common driver in the Glamping and Outdoor Experience Staycation holiday theme is the pre-requisite for a beautiful, natural rural location in which guests can unwind, recharge and immerse themselves in nature.
Tom Dixon, managing director of Sawday’s Canopy & Stars says: ‘In general, travellers are starting to look for more experiential holidays. They want to try something different, something that’s a million miles from what they do in normal life. People really do enjoy getting back to nature and a more relaxed kind of holiday, but we all like a bit of comfort too.”
The Definition
Ecotourism is now defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (TIES, 2015). Education is meant to be inclusive of both staff and guests.
Principles of Ecotourism
Ecotourism has become one of the fastest-growing sectors of the tourism industry, growing annually by 10–15% worldwide (Miller, 2007).
Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel.
With environmental conservation being a highly emotive area for a large percentage of the population, there are many of us who choose to travel on their holidays with a primary objective in mind; to engage in volunteering on a wildlife conservation project. Creating a memorable experience whilst learning is a satisfying adventure and there are some wonderful organisations and charities operating within the tourism industry who organise trips and adventures to enable the environmentally driven holidaymaker to gain experience in the fields of permaculture, bushcraft, organic farming, forestry practices, wildlife conservation and marine biology to name but a few.
One of the best examples of a non-profit organisation operating in the field of international eco-tourism is Ecoteer Responsible Travel, founded in 2005 by Daniel Quilter, a marine biologist, after a volunteering experience at Sukau in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Ecoteer Responsible Travel formed to help concentrate resources to develop meaningful volunteer and ecotourism experiences which could help solve the specific issues for each project.
As Daniel states on his website “Ecoteer.com benefited from the UK recession as more people had free time and were looking for low cost long term projects and is now a favourite amongst students and career breakers looking for work experience in the ecotourism, environmental awareness and conservation sectors. The Ecoteer.com website supports over 200 independently-run grass root organisations in over 50 countries and by 2011 Ecoteer had over 1,500 subscribing members.”
And it would appear that the ecotourism trend is establishing itself within the UK tourism industry.
‘Green Traveller” who list over 700 green places to stay (that can be reached without flying within the UK, Ireland and continental Europe) was founded in 2006 by travel journalist Richard Hammond, the former ecotourism journalist for The Guardian and author of “Clean Breaks – 500 New Ways to see the world”.
Their site UK Green Traveller is a fantastic resource which features eco-friendly places to stay and holidays which can be conveniently reached by bike, public transport, train or ferry.
They also try to link these up with a range of things to do in the local area, including Local Food & Drink, Farmers’ Markets, Family Days Out, Festivals, Museums, Gardens, Art and Craft, Walks, Cycle Rides and Watersports, Wildlife Watching and more.
When we phoned GreenTraveller earlier on today to quiz Richard about his perspective of this industry he stated: “We’ve seen a definite increase in not only the amount of sites advertising with us but in the interest in this style of holiday. There are not only more environmentally friendly places to stay in the UK but the amount of initiatives which the proprietors are installing are also on the increase, a primary example of this is the installation of green technology . Many are upgrading facilities which place an emphasis on maximising the efficiency of their energy, assist with the minimisation of waste alongside the implementation of alternative water systems.”
This information alone, combined with the plethora of information available in the media and via independent sources is indicating to us that there is real promise to be found if you can offer the following to your prospective guests:
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Authenticity
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Clean, fresh air, organic & locally grown produce
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An unspoilt, natural location (preferably with water)
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An experience which connects them with their inner nature (or inner-child ie: men=treehouses!)
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A valuable learning experience, whether this is learning about the local farmers market or learning how to rely on green-technology (or zero technology!)
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An opportunity to make unique memories
It shouldn’t be too difficult for you to start drafting up the pro’s of an eco-retreat in your business plan for the future, and gaining planning permission could be more achievable if you were considerate of both conservation and an opportunity to boost the local economy.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Rotunda Blog if we didn’t also mention that it would be highly advisable to ensure your overnight accommodation buildings (or structures) are quirky, memorable and built to provide a level of comfort which correlates to the return you’d like to generate back on your investment. Naturally, there is no better building for an eco-retreat than the Rotunda!
Our next Blogpost will conclude with:
PART 3 – Spirituality (yep, yet another growing trend)
PART 4 – Ecotherapy & Wellness (you guessed it!)
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