Let’s meet Stéphane Michel, Co-founder and Director of Development

1 – Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the history of ZE-camping?

Originally from Nancy, I started out as a travel guide for the Prêt à Partir group for 3 years. I then moved to Paris to discover other facets of the tourism business: booking agent, back office manager, product manager and then Americas zone manager for top brands such as Jetset, Vacances Transat and Thomas Cook.

In 2014, I took a French turn with 2 partners, creating Ze-camping.

As a B2B-oriented tour operator, Ze-camping offers distributors a collection of 61 campsites, systematically visited each year and selected according to our quality charter, with the latest-generation accommodation and high availability totally dedicated to both low and high season. We are connected to Resalys, Orchestra and Speedmedia.

Among the wide range of camping products on the market, our positioning as a “Quality and Trust” specialist has found its place, and today we’re a safe bet. The quality of the product and its environment is paramount, and the market has understood this and increasingly knows the difference between a good product and a bad one. For us, this is a real guarantee of satisfaction and peace of mind for our distributors and customers. In fact, we’re very proud of our verified dispute rate of less than 0.8%.

We primarily select 4*/5* campsites, as well as a number of attractive 3* addresses, mostly by the sea and in other regions popular with the French.

Our philosophy: The customer is at the heart of our business; our credo: Quality. We want to grow slowly, finding beautiful campsites that match our specifications and values. Our aim is to build long-term, solid relationships with our partners, based on mutual trust.

I hold a general management position in the company, mainly in charge of distribution and development.

Key figures: 85,000 overnight stays sold per year, 40,000 holidaymakers per year, 25 distribution partners.

3 – What have you done to overcome the covid crisis?

Naturally, we set up a crisis unit as soon as the first lockdown occurred, working closely with our distributors to ensure an agile response to the situation.

We then adapted our methods, but also revised our cancellation policy to a very flexible format, with cancellation completely free of charge up to 15 days before departure, to encourage customers to plan ahead and continue booking. We have maintained this policy for 2022.

We have also increased the number of weekend and mid-week offers, in addition to our weekly offerings, to better respond to current market trends.

Although chaotic, we have generally come through 2020 and 2021 well, which has already enabled us to repay the EMP contracted at the start of the crisis.

Finally, last September we also finalized the repayment of all 2020 assets, having applied the ordinance framework to the letter.

We’re looking forward to the 2022 season with great optimism and the sales pace of the great years.

4 – You’ve decided to expand your offering with over 12 new campsites. Can you tell us about them?

The pandemic and its aftermath forced the majority of French people to stay in the country, and in turn enabled many of them to discover or rediscover camping. They preferred to spend their vacations outdoors, preferring the open-air hotel sector, which is perfectly adapted to meet health requirements and the desire to live outdoors.

We wanted to continue enriching and renewing our offer with more than 12 new campsites to meet the demand from regulars and all those new campers.

2 sites, for example, totally adapted to those who want to see life in “green”:

La Ferme Pédagogique de Prunay 4* in Loir et Cher: A country campsite for rural family vacations. Just a stone’s throw from the Loire castles and Beauval zoo, this family-friendly, car-free site features an educational farm and a host of rural activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Campilô 4* in Vendée: A pretty family campsite just 25 km from the great sandy beaches, 1 hour from the famous Puy du Fou or the bucolic Poitevin marshes, guests stay at the heart of the Vendée compass, with the best of both worlds, the countryside by the sea.

5 – Why did you choose Travel-Insight to manage your press relations?

To succeed, you need to identify your weaknesses and surround yourself with the right people.

Using a specialist agency had been an obvious choice for several years, but we didn’t have the time or the budget. I’ve known Emmanuelle Winter for a long time, who joined TI a few months ago, and she was the catalyst.

We’re delighted to be able to draw on their expertise to raise the profile of our brand among distributors. Although camping is one of France’s favorite fashions, it is not yet sufficiently represented in traditional sales channels.

6 – Do you have any future projects/goals for 2022?

Of course! there’s no shortage of projects, but above all the hope that this pandemic will be behind us and that all those involved in tourism will return to the joys of medium- and long-haul travel, but… without forgetting the wonderful destination of France.

7 – What message would you like to convey to French tourism professionals and travelers?

Beyond the high season, the camping product we defend continues to attract more and more people in the low season. The demand is there, and I invite our distributor partners to step up their support in promoting the Easter vacations, the May bridges, the mildness of June and the tranquility of September. Campsites sell almost all year round, and are no longer confined to the high season.

For those who are still a little wary, change your mind: camping vacations have come a long way in recent years, and campsites have adapted to meet expectations: investment in infrastructure, water parks, restaurants, kids’ clubs, wellness areas… Accommodation is also getting bigger and bigger, with all the modern amenities (individual sanitary facilities, bed linen, dishwashers, barbecues, etc.). With the largest number of sites in Europe, and an ever-growing clientele, camping is definitely a key player in French tourism.

8 – The final word?

In 2022, travel in blue, travel in ‘ZE’ mode!