The winners of the Campercontact Awards were announced today. 20,000 motorhome enthusiasts from across Europe voted for nominated sites in six countries: Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
The winners in all six countries are:
The Netherlands
Dorpscamping Gemert is Campsite of the Year
Camperplaats Stoutenburght is Motorhome site of the Year
Belgium
Camping Biej Bokke is Campsite of the Year
Camperhoeve De Bonterie is Motorhome site of the Year
Germany
Mosel Camping Bernkastel is Campsite of the Year
Schneider Baggersee is Motorhome site of the Year
France
Camping Porte des Vosges is Campsite of the Year
Aire de Camping-Car Sainte Claire is Motorhome site of the Year
Italy
Camping Euro 92 is Campsite of the Year
La Cantina del Vino Barga is Motorhome site of the Year
Spain
Camping Las Arenas is Campsite of the Year
Camperstop Alegria is Motorhome site of the Year
The nominees were selected based on the highest average ratings by Campercontact users in 2022. In addition to the ratings, the selection also looked at the total number of reviews in 2022.
Motorhomes are on a rapid rise in Europe. Research conducted by Campercontact in April among 20,000 voters shows that 36% choose motorhome travel because of the sense of freedom and being able to travel on spec (25%). France (45%) and Germany (38%) are the most popular destinations this year. Among the voters, 28% choose a campsite, mainly because of the level of facilities (64%). 52% choose a motorhome site (65% say they come here because of the basic facilities). 7% of motorhome owners prefer to go to an unofficial overnight stop, where motorhomes are often not allowed but tolerated.
Of those surveyed, 58% said they are more money conscious due to inflation. 54% eat out less and 52% say they choose cheaper overnight locations. Motorhome owners say they spend an average of €52 per 24-hour period, of which an average maximum of €22 is for an overnight stay. The price/quality ratio of a location is decisive for 58% of respondents in deciding whether or not to spend the night there.
The choice of a location is also significantly (51%) dependent on user reviews. The presence of wifi is an important factor for 'only' 23%, which is in line with the trend of off-grid camping: as many as 71% say they would consider going off grid completely with their motorhome for one or more days in 2023.
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Sustainability is an important topic for 58% of those surveyed. Litter lying around is therefore the main annoyance at a campsite or motorhome site with 68%. Of this group, 78% have solar panels on their motorhomes and 69% are fanatical about waste separation. Venues are increasingly responding to this trend. To support this, Campercontact presents the Sustainability Award for the first time.
Here are the winners per country, chosen by a professional sustainability jury:
The jury was impressed by the level of sustainable initiatives displayed by the nominated sites in this first edition. Examples of these were: recovering heat from a ventilation system, green roofs, planting trees, recycling grey water into organic compost, cleaning projects in the region, selling local products and contributing to biodiversity.
The professional jury of the Sustainability Award consisted of Marieke van Dijl, sustainability programme leader of the NKC (Dutch Motorhome Association), and Melanie and Mariëlle Masseurs of CamperHomie (motivates campers to travel more sustainably).