Before Breaking Into Mexico’s Glamping Scene, Glamping Amate Broke the Internet

Glamping in Mexico sprouted as a business in the most tourist and expat-friendly areas of the country such as Baja California and Riviera Maya. After being viral in 2019, however, a small glamping development called “Glamping Amate” is now driving tourists into Mexico’s second least visited state.

“We started with three bubbles, and then we got a lucky break,” Miguel Huerta, the chief executive officer of Nantli Living, told Modern Campground. Nantli Living, Mexico’s first-ever glamping operator, owns and operates Glamping Amate and Glamping Octli in Tlaxcala.

The “lucky break” all began when Huerta and his girlfriend sent an email to a tourism agency in the southern part of Mexico that posted photos of Glamping Amate.

Word circulated, and soon enough, news about a glamping site with bubble tents in central Mexico became the talk of the town—online, at least—and garnered over a million reach online organically. In short, Glamping Amate became viral.

Whether it was by sheer luck or not, Huerta decided to take advantage of the traction and opened another glamping site called “Glamping Octli” in 2021.

In the same turnout of events, Glamping Octli with its eight bell tents also surged in popularity online.

“And even though my home state is the second least visited state in Mexico, as you can see, Glamping Octli became a little bit of a hit,” Huerta told Modern Campground as he shared some data.

In just five months, Huerta and his girlfriend received a return on investment.

The businessman shared that people were telling them that the success was because of a seasonal trend, but the company believed that there was more to it.

“And of course, once we got lucky twice, we thought maybe it’s not that we’re lucky. Maybe there’s something that we’re doing right,” he said, sharing that he, later on, formed Nantli Living believing that glamping is not just a trend, but a new accommodation category that has arrived in Mexico.

Today, Nantli Living’s developments are part of the top five glamping destinations in the country, Huerta claimed.

Another reason that led to the success is glamorous camping’s popularity during the pandemic, the businessman said.

COVID-19 restrictions kept Mexicans within the boundaries of the country, and with nowhere to go but travel local, people started to consider Mexican destinations and soon enough discovered glamping where social distancing is perfected.

Huerta said that this type of camping piqued locals’ interest as Mexicans prefer the security and comfort that are usually not available in national parks.

One of Nantli Living’s locations has guards that ensure the safety of guests 24 hours a day.

For creature comforts, Glamping Amate features three bubble tents each with cable TV, WiFi, a bathroom, working space, and more.

Meanwhile, Glamping Octli has 12 bell tents that are each equipped with a comfortable bed with linen as well as WiFi, TV, a bathroom, and more.

Bringing Glamping Into One of the Least Visited States in Mexico

If one would ask experts about an ideal place to develop a campground, many would say somewhere that’s usually visited by travelers. For Glamping Amate and Glamping Octli, being located in Mexico’s second least visited state poses a challenge.

Despite being only two hours away from Mexico City, Tlaxcala does not get much foot traffic from travelers. Huerta believes it might be due to a lack of effective marketing from those involved locally.

While local authorities market the firefly sanctuary in the state, there is more to Tlaxcala that might be overlooked, he said.

The small state in central Mexico is home to the country’s fourth largest pyramid, over a thousand archaeological sites, many colonial-era structures, impeccable textiles, and more.

“Sure, it’s not a coastal town as Cancun or Ensenada—like these places where glamping is a thing—but I think that if you market it properly, as you could see, even the least visited state in Mexico can be the nation’s leader of [an] initiative like glamping,” Huerta said.

The businessman also said that glamping sites in remote areas need to have a strong marketing arm. According to data he shared, the addressable market is comprised of people aged 24-44, online shoppers, and frequent travelers who prefer high-value services.

For Glamping Amate and Glamping Octli, being viral can be considered free marketing. With the businesses’ success, the team is able to charge guests up to $300 during the high season—more than the average standard rates of big hotels in Mexico.

What it’s Like to Run a Glamping Business in Mexico

During Modern Campground’s conversation with Huerta, it was revealed that only about five percent (5%) of both glamping sites’ reservations are done online, and another five percent (5%) via online travel agencies like Booking.com and Airbnb.

The remaining ninety percent (90%) of reservations are done via WhatsApp, which get handled by Nantli Living’s small call center with three full-time employees replying to questions and providing information.

“[Us] Mexicans, we don’t read as much the website, so we like to have that high-touch experience,” Huerta shared.

Asked about some challenges he’s seeing so far in the glamping industry in Mexico, the CEO said that Mexico is one of the countries that have fewer holidays in a year.

“[T]hat’s one of the reasons why they don’t go out much. We see that in our numbers. There are certain parts of the year where we only have traction during the weekends,” Huerta told Modern Campground.

Licenses and permits can also get confusing as there are no regulations in place yet.

Some counties, he said, will compare glamping with a hotel that charge on the premium side, while others are considered a campground.

The glamping business owner also said that the lack of standards can affect the quality of glamping offerings. He said that some places that call themselves “glamping” only offer regular tents and nothing more, then charge guests a lot.

Still, he thinks that standardizing construction might lead to glamping sites losing the uniqueness of their offerings.

“Maybe you can standardize water treatment, waste disposal, [and] those type of things,” said Huerta.

Overall, because Tlaxcala is one of the least visited states in Mexico, Huerta believes that glamping was a reason for several people to go and visit for the first time.

“So we found out that we could make certain locations that maybe were not that appealing, a little bit more appealing through glamping,” he shared.

As of the time of writing, Nantli Living is in talks to acquire a third property. In the foreseeable future, the company is considering expanding into five other locations in different parts of Mexico.

To learn more about Nantli Living, visit https://nantli.travel/.

Featured image from Glamping Octli.