The Huttopia company
Since 1999, it has been our mission to make Huttopia the benchmark company in the sector of independent, global and innovative ecotourism by developing a new holiday concept combining comfort, nature and aesthetics, known as glamping.
Our project
Huttopia, a new art of camping
Our profession is both a simple and exciting one: Finding beautiful natural environments, establishing sites that do not harm the surroundings and that enhance the nature and local culture, and setting up light-weight and easily dismountable infrastructure which nestle in harmoniously with the landscape. Then welcoming families, often city dwellers, who are looking to stay in simple and direct contact with nature, to relax and discover the region together in an environmentally-friendly manner.
Reviving the camping spirit, the dream of a hut nestled deep in the woods and the joys of waking up in the midst of nature. And all this with the comfort and unique experience offered by our wood and canvas accommodation.
Our name says it all: a hut is a simple shelter and Utopia, the blissful fictional island described by Thomas More. Huttopia is the synthesis of this. Huttopia has been developing a glamping concept for the last 23 years, combining nature, comfort and aesthetics on unspoilt natural sites by adapting to the culture and spirit of the local area. With its Forest Villages, Nature Campsites and City Kamps in France, Europe, Canada, the USA, China and elsewhere, Huttopia is one of the main players in ecotourism.
The founding notion
Thomas More's image of the island of the blessed at the very end of the earth is now more closely within reach than ever. The geographical surface of our planet has been totally explored. Alterity is not proportional to geographical distance, but to the change of scenery experienced. It is as if people in this modern, digital era, who are looking to "have a breather", to "get away from it all", to retreat to a "bolthole", or, in short to "recharge their batteries", are effectively searching for this figmental alternative that is found nowhere in particular. Huttopia is this remote island where we can get away from daily life, our secret retreat.
In 1999, the Huttopia project was launched, based on a very simple observation :
- All over the world people are living lives that are increasingly urbanized, artificial, digital, in short, intermediated, that cut us off from nature…
- All over the world however, people still have a natural, basic desire to explore and immerse themselves in unspoilt natural environments, to feel their feet in the grass, to touch the trees…
- All over the world, we are witnessing, in parallel, a real gain of awareness regarding the value of our natural environment which is leading our governments to protect more and more natural areas.
On the one hand, city dwellers want to enjoy these beautiful protected natural areas. On the other hand, local actors want to develop tourism in order to keep their region alive. But constraints increasingly prevent the development of heavy tourism infrastructure in these natural environments.
Huttopia offers the answer to all these issues… All over the world.
Our history
Huttopia, or the pursuit of a holiday utopia.
We didn't start Huttopia because we were among the earliest environmentalists, but simply because we love nature and wanted to create the type of campsite that we enjoyed ourselves. A real campsite, necessarily located in a beautiful haven of Nature where people could pitch their tents without being packed in like sardines, breathe, enjoy beautiful landscapes, a tranquil setting, and holidays in true freedom, without any constraints, in a kind of sobriety and simplicity that offers a real break from daily life. Real camping allows us this. It happens to be environmentally-friendly by nature. The facilities are light-weight and easily dismountable. We live just with the essentials in a form of happy sobriety. And finally, it allows us to enjoy the direct contact with Nature that many of us have lost in our city lives: feeling our feet in the grass, touching the trees, inhaling the scent of wood, sensing and hearing the forest around us... while simultaneously allowing us to reconnect with others as well as with ourselves.
Huttopia is an independent company, created in Lyon in 1999 by the Bossanne family, and born from their love of the great outdoors and a certain art of camping. Twenty three years later, the company runs nearly 90 sites in 7 countries under the Huttopia brand and the CityKamp and OnlyCamp groups.
The project first took root in the Drôme, their home place, before maturing in Canada, where they lived for a few years.
In the year 2000, they opened their first, very small nature campsite in the Alps. Today, Huttopia has sites on 3 continents. Huttopia has been present in Europe for 23 years with a head office in Lyon, in North America for 12 years with a head office in Montreal and in China for 7 years with a head office in Shanghai.
An ability to work in collaboration with National Parks and managers of natural areas.
Since the year 2000 in France, we have been developing a partnership and sites in the National Forests run by the French National Forestry Commission. In 2008 in Canada we set up sites in the National Parks of Quebec. In 2013, we began development in China with the STG (Sichuan Tourism Group). Since 2018, we have been working with the Staatsbosbeheer, the Forest Manager and National Parks in the Netherlands. In 2019 we began working with National Parks in Argentina.
A gradual development, always keeping to the initially defined course, in a very independent and entrepreneurial spirit, always putting innovation and people at the heart of the Huttopia project.
The affirmation from the year 2000 of a certain “Art of Camping” at Huttopia combining nature, comfort and a sense of aesthetics which laid the foundations for glamping (glamorous camping). And a desire to pursue the Huttopia adventure throughout the world.
Our organization
Our group is organized today around three branches :
- Huttopia
The main branch, which has been developing in the world of Open Air Hospitality since 1999.
- Huttosoft
The digital branch, which has been developing in the world of tourism since 2000.
- Hékipia
The industrial branch, which has been developing on the Tiny House market since 2004.
A strong company culture
Huttopia is a coherent, genuine and independent company founded on strong convictions and values that were set out from its creation in 1999. It is a clear and affirmed vision of its development. And finally it is a human and entrepreneurial adventure. Over the years, all this has shaped a strong company culture which guides the actions of all its actors.
A flexible and well-connected federation
Huttopia is by nature a decentralized organization whose basic main unit is its sites. It is thus organized around sites, divisions and branches, which are linked by clearly-set common objectives, shared values and a highly efficient information system. Our company culture allows all these units to speak a common language and enables everyone to find meaning in their work.
A vital integration
From very early on, Huttopia felt the need to assimilate certain skills in order to innovate, to be responsive and to chart its own way, often on the fringes of the mainstream trends and dominant modes of thought. As such, since the year 2000 we have developed our own digital know how, today the Huttosoft branch, and since 2004 our own industrial know-how, today the Hékipia branch.
International
Our project is a global one that everyone can identify with. Everywhere in the world people camp because it is one of the most universal styles of holidaymaking, truly in tune with the need to get out into the nature and meet other people.
Huttopia projects itself as a global brand in the field of ecotourism, representing a lifestyle and values that are respectful of nature and curious about other people’s cultures.
We made our first international debut in Canada in 2008, where we set up sites in the National Parks of Quebec through a partnership with the Sépaq. This allowed us to pitch about 500 Huttopia tents, in the form of bivouacs in about twenty National Parks. It was an immediate success, allowing the Sépaq to considerably expand its “ready-to-camp” business. Huttopia’s reputation exploded in Quebec. People started going “Huttopia” camping. This was the beginning of Huttopia’s North American adventure. Today we have a base camp in Montreal with a whole team of staff working on our development on this continent. With three Huttopia villages in operation in Quebec, New Hampshire and Maine, three sites under construction in the State of New York and two in California, Huttopia has taken off and is one of the main players in glamping holidays in the USA.
Huttopia group then began development in China in 2013 where it launched a pilot project in 2015 under its Indigo brand in Sichuan in association with the Sichuan Tourism Group.
It went on to open a new pilot in Huashan near the ancient capital Xi’an in Shaanxi. Huttopia group, which focuses in China on the creation and management of sites, has designed a dozen nature campsites.
A beautiful first real Huttopia site is being set up near Hangzhou, opened in 2022, with the brand «Huttopia户乐»
Huttopia China has its headquarters in Shanghai, its base camp.
Huttopia also began development in the Netherlands in 2016 with a commercial branch and then new sites in 2019. A partnership was signed with the National Park Manager, the Staatsbosbeheer in particular to create an exceptional Huttopia in the NewLander National Park. Other projects are being studied in Belgium and Germany.
In Argentina we have been working with the government for the past two years to establish Huttopias in beautiful natural areas throughout this vast country, especially in the National Parks.
Other projects are under way in Morocco, Japan, Bulgaria and Georgia.
Already present in Canada, the United States and China, we are looking to continue our development throughout the different continents.
All our teams work each day to make Huttopia a global benchmark in the ecotourism sector, renowned for both the quality of its sites and services and also for its ability to establish itself in sensitive natural environments.
This ability to guarantee States that we truly take the environment into account in the development of our sites, has opened up the way for Huttopia in National Parks and other protected areas around the world. The strength of the Huttopia brand makes it possible to attract eco-tourists looking for alternative tourism to areas that are often rural and not always touristic. In 2019, Huttopia offers 57 sites around the world, in 5 countries, on 3 continents and the aim to propose 5 to 7 new destinations each year.
Key figures
Huttopia Hospitality in figures
90
Sites
in France and abroad
in France and abroad
16 000
Pitches
in France and abroad
in France and abroad
69 M€
Turnover
1 600
Staff
of which 600 permanent
of which 600 permanent
95%
direct bookings
3
Continents
Europe, Asia, and North America
Europe, Asia, and North America