This result was achieved by offering a tailor-made and authentic holiday experience, connected with the local area in each case
The 2023 season is expected to show very important results, particularly in the summer months, according to Human Company, a historic Italian company that operates in the hospitality and catering sector: in fact, the Group estimates that it will close the year with an increase in both revenues, up by 19%, and in admissions, which are 9% higher than last year at over 4 million. Excellent results were also achieved by hu open air, the Group's brand that is proud of the ecosystem of its ten structures in Italy and Europe: attendance grew by 7% in the villages and 11% in the camping in town structures, which have proved to be highly innovative, much appreciated by guests and have great growth potential. There was a clear increase in bookings made through the direct sales channel , in particular in the villages where they grew by 30% in the period from April to September.
After the results recorded during the covid period, there was once more an increase in the length of stay, with +28% in the villages (7.08 nights) and a +10% in the camping in town structures (3.04 nights) respectively. Among the hu open-air structures, the best results were achieved by the hu Park Albatros village: located on the Tuscan coast in the shade of a vast and ancient pine forest, surrounded by famous archaeological sites and the beautiful beaches of the Etruscan coast, in July and August it reached an occupancy of 95%. This was followed by hu Norcenni Girasole village - nestled between the Chianti hills - and the Fabulous village, at the crossroads between the city of Rome and the sea of Lazio, both with an occupancy in July and August of over 90%.
As regards the origin of the guests of the structures, Italy once more leads the top 3 of the reference markets with a share of 35% followed by the Netherlands (27%) and Germany (20%). The number of guests from traditional countries, such as France, remains high, while among the emerging reference catchment areas, Poland stands out, resuming growth after the external shocks due to the pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. Over the course of the season guests were able to appreciate a wide range of activities and experiences proposed by the different structures, designed according to their needs and perfect for the different age groups of the guests. In particular, great attention was paid to involving prominent local associations through the handicraft workshops, always free of charge, and which gave guests a chance to discover the traditions and get an authentic insight into the treasures of the areas in which they were staying - from the production of the typical tortellini of Valeggio sul Mincio to the finishing of leather in Tuscany.
Again with the aim of enhancing the territory, collaborative initiatives were also developed with important organisations such as L'Eroica, the prestigious cycling event inspired by classic cycling. The partnership, based on a sharing of values between the two Tuscan-based companies, has resulted in a series of initiatives, including the presence of hu open-air with a stand at the starting village and two different competitions, one of which offered 25 prizes of two-night stays for two people at one of the Group's ten open-air facilities. Significant investments have also been made in the of food&beverage offering: in order to guarantee the highest quality at all times, diversify the variety of products and promote local cuisine, we have selected the best local partners and established important partnerships with them. New developments have also been made on our mobile homes with the launch of a technological retrofit project through the use of IOT technologies for the detection and efficiency of energy consumption. This is an evolving initiative which, for the coming seasons, will see an increasingly greater active involvement of guests.
“We are closing the 2023 season with extreme satisfaction, recording excellent results both in terms of revenues and attendance", is the statement by Valentina Fioravanti, Chief Marketing Officer of Human Company, adding “This certainly confirms how both Italian and foreign guests are increasingly aware of the value of open air holidays which are gaining in importance in the travel industry every year. For us, raising the quality of the services offered to customers involves creating a tailor-made, authentic holiday experience that is connected to the local area, and this is why every year we enrich our proposal of activities, events and services by adapting them to the various villages and camping in town structures. We are now looking with confidence to 2024, continuing to grow and invest, and in view of next season we are already working on new important projects, such as the opening of the hu Eraclea village scheduled for 2025”.
Given the initial figures, the coming year is indeed looking very promising: bookings already recorded for 2024 are excellent, with an increase of over 23% compared to last year's figures for 2023. Furthermore, a fundamental milestone for the Group for next year will be the opening of sales for stays at the hu Eraclea village, which will open in 2025 in Veneto, in Eraclea, and will be the flagship of the Human Company group, perfectly integrated with the surrounding area and developed in such a way as to safeguard and enhance all its distinctive features.
Sustainability has always been among the fundamental drivers that guide Human Company's choices and projects, which aims to invest in the local area, emphasising the environmental and social context and cherishing the natural and landscape resources of each location. Precisely for this reason, the Group is also working on its own first sustainability plan which - based on the 3 pillars: Nature, local communities and people - is the first step of a path of evolution, which begins with the development of a long-term strategy and the identification of specific objectives and targets. In this regard, starting this year, the Group has drawn up its first smart sustainability report, a process of analysis and transparency created to start a non-financial reporting process that will be refined over time and that will help to progressively integrate sustainability issues within corporate strategies.