Although the Urban Dictionary defines gamping as a form of gay camping, this is not the topic of this presentation. Gamping, according to French entrepreneur Joseph Léopold, means garden camping, and he hopes that his site, Gamping.com, will ignite a huge trend in the near future, a safe alternative to camping in the wild, but also the perfect solution for campers who cannot find availability in traditional campsites.
Gamping.com has the potential to become a great alternative for travelers and backpackers interested in connecting with the locals, and in discovering people and places off the beaten path. Many hosts offer a wide range of services and amenities for a symbolic fee. In Romania, Babou’s campsite in Breb, Maramureş, offers camping grounds for only 6€ per person, and includes complimentary use of hammocks, and other facilities. In Sicily, a campsite in Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonie offers camping and complimentary breakfast for 15 € per person. Every host can set up the desired price, and specify what is included to make the offer more attractive for guests.
As great as this idea may be, it is not original, as its creator believes. In April 2011 Victoria Webbon founded Camp in My Garden, at the time the online garden camping community in the world, offering everything from “bamping” (basic camping) to “glamping” (glamorous camping). CIMG, older and more established, offers camping grounds all over the world, and has a stronger user base.
Gamping.com was launched in April 2013, and it has a modest database of spaces for tents, campers, and caravans in France. According to are recent press announcement by Gamping.com, private “gamping” grounds are available in other 17 countries around the world, including Spain, Italy, United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Tunisia, Kenya, Poland, Belgium, Portugal, Burkina Faso, Romania, Uruguay, and the United Kingdom.
For a business idea with only one other competitor in the world, Gamping.com is moving at a very slow pace. But it has a great chance to grow, and eventually to sell to a more powerful travel brand, like every promising startup.
The term “gamping” – even though it is not original either – is what Joseph Léopold can count on to catch up with his one, and only other competitor in Europe. This could be difficult without a proper PR campaign targeted at backpackers and campers, and also without expanding the community currently active on Gamping.com.
“Gamping,” which now has a dual meaning, can resonate within the LGBT community itself, potentially attracting many gay and lesbian travelers interested in this form of “garden camping.” But to be successful, Léopold will need to target this audience, if he wants to continue selling “Gamping.com” as an “original business idea.” Right now, in all fairness, anyone familiar with CampInMyGarden.com will consider Gamping.com a clone, and a poorly done one at best. CampInMyGarden.com has its own intellectual property rights and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them reacting to a newcomer that infringes, even unknowingly, these rights.