A new industry study published in 2026 provides a consolidated overview of Italy’s outdoor accommodation sector, a market that has long been difficult to quantify due to fragmented data sources and varying definitions across industry bodies.
The study, compiled by JetCamp, brings together verified national and regional datasets to map campsites, holiday villages, agricampeggi, glamping sites, and RV parks across the country, offering what it describes as the most comprehensive publicly accessible snapshot of the sector to date.
According to figures cited from FAITA Federcamping, Italy has more than 2,600 open-air tourism businesses, including campsites, holiday villages, camper stopovers, and marina resorts. These facilities collectively offer over 1.3 million beds, generate an estimated €5 billion in annual turnover, and support approximately 100,000 jobs directly and indirectly.
Open-air tourism represents more than 10 percent of total tourist arrivals in Italy and around 16 percent of overnight stays. Other estimates suggest an even broader market.
The Associazione Nazionale Coordinamento Camperisti places the number of campsites, holiday villages, and equipped camper areas at up to 3,000, while additional specialist segments include more than 500 agricampeggi listed by Agricamper and over 500 dedicated RV parks.
After aggregating and de-duplicating these sources, the study identifies 2,245 active open-air accommodation businesses operating in Italy as of 2026.
Despite its scale, the Italian camping market remains highly fragmented. The study finds that the five largest domestic operators—Club del Sole, Baia Holiday, hu openair, Vacanze col Cuore, and Bella Italia Group—together operate fewer than 70 locations, accounting for well under 3 percent of national supply.
Growth between 2020 and 2026 has largely been driven by acquisitions and selective new developments, particularly in higher-end camping villages, mobile homes, glamping units, and resort-style facilities.
This fragmentation has coincided with increased interest from international operators, especially French groups such as Capfun, Sandaya, and Homair, which have entered Italy through acquisitions and partnerships in recent years.
Alongside traditional camping chains, Italy also supports alternative scale models that allow growth without ownership or franchising. Classic franchising remains largely absent from the Italian camping market, with major French brands such as Flower Campings, Yelloh! Village and Camping Paradis not yet expanding into the country.
However, recent consolidation, including the acquisition of Camping Paradis and Ushuaïa Villages by Groupe Pierre & Vacances–Center Parcs alongside its Maeva brand, may influence international expansion strategies in the medium term. By contrast, camp-in-camp tour operating is well established in Italy.
Under this model, campsites sublet portions of their grounds to specialised operators that install and operate accommodation units at their own commercial risk.
International operators using this approach include Eurocamp and Roan, both part of European Camping Group, as well as Gebetsroither, Happy Camp, Albatross Reisen, Estivo Travel, Gustocamp, Tendi/Vodatent and Sunlodge.
This model has played a significant role in attracting international demand to Italian camping destinations. More recently, experience-led branded concepts have begun to enter the Italian market. Kampaoh opened its first Italian location in Sardinia in 2023, while smaller branded initiatives such as Nordisk Villages and StarsBOX have expanded through partnerships with individual landowners and destinations.
In parallel, marketing and quality networks, including LeadingCampings and agritourism-led initiatives such as Feather Down and FarmCamps, continue to offer non-franchise routes to visibility and shared standards.
Sustainability certification is another area where adoption is increasing but remains uneven. International labels such as Green Key and the EU Ecolabel are present in Italy, while Legambiente Turismo is the most widely used domestic certification, particularly among Italian operators.
The study notes that sustainability labels are becoming more relevant as traveller expectations evolve and as reporting and transparency requirements within European tourism continue to develop.
For outdoor hospitality professionals, the findings underline both the opportunities and challenges of operating in a large but decentralized market. Limited consolidation means individual businesses retain strong local identity, but it also places greater importance on visibility, data accuracy, and credible positioning.
As distribution, search, and comparison tools increasingly rely on structured data, operators may benefit from ensuring their accommodation type, capacity, sustainability credentials, and booking capabilities are clearly represented across platforms.
The study concludes that improved transparency and consistent market data will be central to decision-making, investment, and long-term competitiveness in Italy’s outdoor accommodation sector.