A holidaymaker choosing a campsite in 2026 compares pools, kids’ clubs, maybe a pétanque pitch. And more and more often, they look for one specific word in the booking filters: padel.
The sport booming in France has arrived in outdoor hospitality. A padel court is rarer than a pool, more distinctive than mini-golf, and it attracts higher-income families who come back. The problem: 9 out of 10 campsites and holiday villages stop at the equipment. They build the court and never tell anyone about it. The result: an expensive asset stays invisible to the people who book their holiday on Instagram and Google.
This guide gives you the full plan to turn your padel court into a real driver of bookings and loyalty. Not a forgotten product page on your website, but a reason to stay that future guests see before they book.
Why padel is the most profitable amenity in outdoor hospitality in 2026
A market moving upmarket
French outdoor hospitality is no longer a budget sector. It generated 124.9 million overnight stays in 2025 (+3.2%) and close to €5 billion in revenue, and 4 and 5-star sites now account for 58% of stays. France alone represents 29.2% of Europe’s campsites and welcomes more than 8 million camping tourists every year.
In a market moving upmarket, the fight is no longer about pitch prices. It is about experience. And padel ticks the three boxes the 2026 holidaymaker is looking for.
Padel ticks the 3 boxes of differentiation
Experience first. Glamping, eco-tourism and premium services have proven one thing: people no longer book accommodation, they book a moment. A padel match at sunset is exactly that moment.
Premium positioning second. A padel court signals a standard, just like a spa or a good restaurant. It justifies an upmarket position without breaking the codes of outdoor holidays.
Togetherness third. Padel is played by four, from teenagers to parents. It is the perfect multi-generation activity for a family or friends’ holiday, where many activities split people by age.
Rarer than a pool, so more valuable
All pools look alike. Padel courts don’t. While the camping market consolidates and big groups look more and more alike, padel remains a rare competitive advantage. To understand the size of the wave driving this demand, the padel market in France in 2026 has the numbers: more than a million players and +130% licences in three years. The demand is there. The question is whether your court is visible.
Mistake #1: building the court without building the content
A court nobody talks about is a dormant asset
Installing a padel court costs between €25,000 and €40,000. That is a real investment. And yet most operators stop there, as if the court would sell itself. It won’t. A court nobody sees before booking is an opportunity cost running all year: the guests who would have picked your site for it don’t even know it exists.
What a guest sees (and doesn’t see) before booking
Put yourself in your future customer’s shoes. They type “campsite with padel + region” into Google. They scroll your Instagram to “get a feel for the place”. They look at your photos on booking platforms. If all they find is a line in the amenities list and a photo of an empty court, your padel carries no weight in their decision. Guests don’t book a court, they book the idea of a good time. You still have to show them that time.
From amenity to booking argument
The shift is simple to state: move padel from amenity (a line in a list) to argument (a reason to click “book”). That doesn’t need a polished production budget. It needs you to film what already happens on your court and put it in the right places.
The padel content plan for a campsite or holiday village
Capture the court on camera: the format that converts
Raw vertical video beats over-polished content every time. A spectacular rally filmed on a phone, a point that ends in laughter, a child landing their first shot: this content shares itself and makes people want to come. Content made by your guests (UGC) converts up to four times better than brand content. Encourage players to tag you, reshare them, and you get free, credible social proof.
The role of creators: credibility, reach, social proof
A well-known padel creator-athlete who comes to play and run a session on your site turns a simple amenity into an event. Their community discovers your site, your guests get a memorable moment, and you get professional-quality content. These are athletes followed for their real views, not a follower count. It is the lever general hospitality agencies don’t have, and it is the difference between a court that exists and a court people talk about.
Bring the season to life: tournaments, taster sessions, challenges
A living court is a court that produces content all the time. A family tournament on Wednesday, a free taster session on Sunday morning, a multi-generation challenge in the evening: every activity is both an experience for your guests and a chance to film. To structure these events into real highlights, the guide to organising a padel tournament covers the method.
The clubhouse and the post-match: capture the social side
Padel doesn’t end on the last point. Drinks at the bar after the match, the clubhouse atmosphere: that is often where the emotion that makes people want to come back happens. Film that. Authentic food and drink content is among the best at triggering a booking, because it sells an atmosphere, not a service.
Turn visibility into direct bookings
A dedicated page and local SEO
Create a proper padel page on your website, optimised for “campsite with padel + your region”. That page catches the Google searches of holidaymakers who already know what they want. A well-built padel page makes you findable at the exact moment booking intent is highest.
Social media and social proof
Your social channels are the shop window a guest checks before booking. Padel belongs there, as long as you show movement, people, atmosphere, and never an empty court. The content mechanics in our social media guide for padel apply directly to a campsite or holiday village.
Measure ROI: from content to overnight stays
No need for complicated metrics. Track three simple indicators: clicks to your booking page from social, guests telling reception “I came for the padel”, and occupancy on the slots where you schedule activities. If those numbers go up, your content is working.
3 levels of activation depending on your setup
The independent campsite
No budget or dedicated team? That is enough to start. Film your best points on a phone, create a signature activity (the Wednesday evening tournament, for example), and post regularly. Authentic home-made content beats impersonal advertising, and it only costs time.
The holiday village or residence
With an activities team, you can build a real seasonal programme: taster sessions, weekly tournaments, family challenges. Organise UGC capture (encourage guests to post, collect the best content) and you feed your channels all season without heavy production.
The multi-site outdoor hospitality group
For a group, padel becomes a brand asset across the network. A creator strategy rolled out over several sites, combined with centralised content production, creates a recognisable signature and massive social proof. That is exactly the kind of support The Court designs for operators who want their courts to drive bookings, not just fill a line in a brochure.
A concrete example on the hotel side: with Kyriad, every tournament becomes a source of ongoing visibility that warms up the brand’s image well beyond the event itself. The same logic applies to traditional hotels, and the digital fundamentals are those of good padel club marketing.
FAQ
Do you need a covered or an open court to make padel pay at a campsite?
Both work. An open court is plenty for a summer season, which is most of outdoor hospitality’s business. A covered court extends the season and secures rainy days, but you don’t need one to start getting marketing value and bookings from padel.
How much content should you produce per season?
A steady rhythm beats one big push. One or two short videos a week during the season, plus capture of your highlights (tournaments, taster sessions), is enough to feed your channels and your dedicated page. Most of it takes a few minutes to film on a phone.
Does padel really attract families, or only sporty guests?
Both, and that is its strength. Padel takes minutes to learn, is played by four and needs no particular fitness. It is a multi-generation activity that brings parents and teenagers together, which makes it a strong family argument for a stay.
How do you measure padel’s impact on bookings?
Track clicks to your booking page from social, ask at reception “how did you hear about us?”, and compare occupancy on padel activity slots. Three simple indicators that quickly show whether your content drives overnight stays.
Make your court a real booking engine
Padel is one of the few amenities that is still rare in outdoor hospitality. The window to make it your signature is open now, while your competitors are content to build the court without telling its story.
Arthur, founder of The Court, will spend 30 minutes with you to work out how to turn your padel court into a booking argument, based on your setup and your season.
