The Sharing Economy Goes Outdoors

Camping discovery and booking service Hipcamp has launched a new initiative enabling private landowners to transform their space into campgrounds. The company is helping people interested in the program with everything from the creation of an online listing, to photography, insurance, bathrooms, maps and more. Its model works similar to Airbnb, with payments made weekly to landowners via direct deposit. Over 200,000 campers in the Hipcamp community stand to benefit from an increase in campsite listings. At the same time, property owners benefit from a new revenue source that can ensure the land isn’t developed and wilderness habitats are preserved. Because a majority of the United States is privately-owned, Hipcamp sees connecting landowners that wish to keep their land undeveloped with ecologically-friendly campers as the future of conservation. “Over 60 percent of the U.S. is privately-owned,” Ravasio explains. “The next wave of conservation has to be about engage these private landowners so that we can make a significant impact and create the large wilderness corridors that are needed.”...more