How To Attract Campers In The Slow Dark Season.

Christmas is quickly approaching, this can be a difficult time for camp hosts that don’t have heated cabins available to rent. However, it is a time of the year where people have time off work, so it could be a good source of income. Winter camping has become more popular, here are some things you can do to attract campers in the winter months. These long hours of darkness can be depressing, but can also be an opportunity to have a light display. You can get very creative with rows of Christmas lights, or outdoor LED light strips, but if you don’t have power, there are outdoor lights with integrated batteries on the market. Projectors to bounce the light off a tree, or wall create a great atmosphere, and lithium batteries work much better in cold weather than conventional batteries. Dark sky preserves are also a big draw recently, and astrological events are advertised all over the news. If your property has a beautiful unobstructed view of the stars, advertising it will definitely draw customers.

If you want to attract winter campers, a source of heat is a big draw. One creative idea is building, or purchasing a sauna. I grew up in Norway where saunas are part of the culture, and were a way to enjoy the cold. The tradition is to get hot and toasty in the sauna, then run outside, and jump into the lake, or roll around in the snow. Then run back inside before you freeze. Saunas draw toxins out of the body, are a great cure for a hang-over, and are an awesome feature to draw campers into your business in winter, or summer.

There are definitely more people that will get excited to spend a long weekend in the winter in a cabin, or yurt. If this is out of your budget, then constructing a gazeebo to pitch a tent under is a creative way to attract people that may not be equipped for serious winter camping. In the cold weather, offering campers hot chocolate, heat pads, or even breakfast is important to make sure their stay is a positive experience.

Personally, I love the snow. As kids, we would pack milk crates with snow to make snow bricks, and construct walls, and snow forts, then have huge snow battles. We built snow igloos by piling the snow into a huge pile, then dig into it to make a cozy room, and dig shelves into the walls to hold candles. It was disappointing to hear that the school board banned kids making snow balls. Cross-country skiing has also gained popularity lately, and there are groups online and on Facebook dedicated to this activity. If you had cross-country skiing trails on, or close to your campsite, you could attract customers by letting these groups know about this service. Imagine a big group of skiers booking up your whole campsite for the weekend to have a ski trip.

Winter is such a beautiful time of the year, to me there is nothing more beautiful than a blanket of snow over the forest. If you want to take advantage, and get professional photos taken of your campsite as a winter wonderland, then shoot me an email to book a quick call to see how we can best serve you. [email protected] Cheers!