Article: This includes knowing your clients' age ranges, whether they are families or retired couples, and understanding their idea of a perfect vacation. If this aspect of research does not interest you, it is recommended that you re-consider whether a small tourist business is really a good choice for you. For instance, in continental Europe the Dutch are very keen campers but they are also known for their expectation of high standards of cleanliness. As such, you will not penetrate this lucrative sector of the market without spotless toilets and very regular cleaning schedules. Beach, sea, mountains or cultural cities? How does this affect the type of client and their duration of stay? Do most people stay a week or are they passing through. Neither is necessarily best; a steady stream of people staying only two nights on their way to some other destination might be a very good line of business but it will mean you spend more time settling arrivals into their allotted pitches. This might be because there does seem to be a type of camper who just enjoys being in a field, cooking on a barbecue and enjoying fresh air. However it is considered that such a prospect is at best risky and should only be considered on the evidence of several years worth of financial figures. In general, the first maxim for tourist businesses does apply to campsites equally well and that maxim is: "location location location".

What is a summary?
Be aware that one of the primary considerations for anyone thinking of buying a campsite, hotel or other small tourist business is that you must know your market. Know your target market and what their standards are. Look around to find out what the main attractions are in the area. In the initial author's experience, some campsite businesses do very well in areas that seem rather unremarkable.