Heat waves, droughts, wildfires: How should campgrounds adapt to these increasingly intertwined risks?

Xavier Turgis

Analyses

5 minutes

24 July 2026

Heatwaves, droughts, fires, water restrictions... Campsites are now facing increasingly frequent climate risks with sometimes significant consequences on their activity. Beyond material damages, these events can affect attendance, vacationers' experience, or even the continuity of operation of establishments. 
How to anticipate these risks? What solutions to implement to protect one's activity? 
Xavier Turgis, Director of the Outdoor Hospitality sector, shares his analysis and insights on the main challenges operators are facing.

Why have climate risks become a strategic issue for campgrounds?

Climate risks now play a central role in the management of campsites. Heatwaves, droughts, and fires are more frequent and can affect both infrastructure, activities, and the satisfaction of vacationers. Beyond material damage, they can lead to a decrease in attendance, temporary closures, or operational constraints. Climate resilience thus becomes as important an issue as safety or economic performance.

How does the heatwave promote the outbreak of fires?

Heatwaves dry out vegetation and soil, creating conditions particularly favorable for fires. Campgrounds, often located near natural or wooded areas, are therefore more exposed. In addition, hot winds, often coming from the south, frequently accelerate the spread of flames. In the face of these risks, prevention and preparation of emergency plans are essential.

Can a heatwave have an impact even without causing a disaster?

Yes. A heatwave can affect the activity of a campsite even in the absence of damage. Vacationers are increasingly adapting their destination choices based on weather forecasts, sometimes even changing their reservations at the last minute. Some regions particularly affected by high temperatures may experience lower than normal attendance, in favor of areas perceived as cooler.

What happens when a campground is affected by water restrictions?

When a campsite is affected by water restrictions, the consequences can be significant. Prefectural orders issued during periods of drought can indeed limit certain water uses, with a direct impact on the infrastructure and services offered to vacationers, especially pools, water areas, or certain leisure activities. This situation can lead to a degradation of the customer experience and generate complaints, early departures, or a decrease in reservations. For operators, water restrictions are not only an operational constraint: they can also represent a significant economic and commercial challenge, affecting the attractiveness of the establishment and its revenue.

Are administrative closures an underestimated risk?

Yes, because they can intervene even in the absence of damage on the site. When a fire breaks out nearby or when a risk is deemed too significant for the safety of people, authorities can restrict access to an area or order a temporary closure. In the middle of the season, the economic impact can be immediate. This type of scenario illustrates the importance of thinking beyond just material damage.

How can operators protect their business in the face of these events?

The first step is to precisely identify the risks to which the site is exposed. Operators must then adapt their prevention and crisis management plans, anticipate the consequences on their activities, and regularly verify the adequacy of their insurance programs. An approach combining prevention, protection, and risk transfer is now essential.

Is parametric insurance called upon to play an increasing role?

Parametric insurance responds to certain difficult climate risks to cover by traditional mechanisms. Its principle is based on the triggering of compensation when a predefined indicator, such as temperature or precipitation levels, reaches a threshold set in advance. Faced with the increasing frequency of extreme events, it is becoming an increasingly relevant complement to traditional solutions.

What will climate risk management look like in campgrounds in the coming years?

Climate risk management will be increasingly based on anticipation and the use of data. Operators will increasingly integrate climate parameters into their decisions, while insurance solutions will become more personalized. The challenge will no longer be just to repair after a disaster, but to preserve business continuity and limit the economic consequences of climate events. The best-prepared campsites will be those that have adopted a comprehensive view of risk, combining prevention, business continuity, and financial protection.

Xavier Turgis
The real challenge is no longer just to protect a campsite against a fire or a flood, but to secure the continuity of its activity in the face of increasingly frequent and interconnected climate events.
Xavier Turgis
Xavier Turgis - Director of the Outdoor Hospitality Sector

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