Successful camping operators: Performance measurement using cluster analysis and DEA methods.

Amidst the dynamic transformations in the camping industry, research on efficiency and performance remains surprisingly scarce. This research aims to evaluate the efficiency of campsites in France, to determine the best managerial practices from the perspective of different business models.

A deductive approach is adopted to explore performance measurement based on a convenience sample of 52 campsites located in France. A Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is combined with a Cluster Analysis (CA) to explore the organizational performance of each business model cluster.

The paper offers an organized structure to measure campsite business model efficiency, identify benchmarks, obtain KPIs per cluster, policymaker recommendations, and counter-intuitive findings for state-owned campsites. Focusing on continuous improvement, campsites with superior relative efficiency serve as benchmarks for others, offering best practices that can be adopted to increase effectiveness.

Findings show considerable variability in terms of performance scores, with campsites proposing fewer attractive resources experiencing major inefficiencies and profitability problems. In contrast, nature-oriented luxury (glamping) campsites with few intrinsic attractive and efficient resources manage to achieve an average EBITDA of around 31%. Furthermore, the results provide valuable information for political decision-makers concerning the support and public financial assistance required for the favorable development of campsites located in unattractive territories. For this industry, it is crucial to support business models that make a significant contribution to tourism attractiveness and economic sustainability. An encouraging perspective for the recovery and safeguarding of the thousand campsites closed in France this last decade.