PiNCAMP

About PiNCAMP

PiNCAMP GmbH operates a digital booking platform for the European camping market, functioning as a key marketplace for campers and campsites. The company was established in 2017 as ADAC Camping GmbH, a digital venture of the German automobile club ADAC, and was rebranded to PiNCAMP to reflect a broader, more international scope. A significant milestone occurred in January 2024, when the Dutch ANWB and Swiss TCS automobile clubs joined ADAC as shareholders, merging their camping activities into the unified PiNCAMP entity. This strategic consolidation was backed by a €6.6 million investment to fuel international expansion and solidify the platform's position against venture capital-backed competitors.

The venture is led by CEO Uwe Frers, who took the helm in November 2017. Frers is a seasoned professional in the digital business world with a track record of founding and scaling new ventures since 2000, including successful exits in the online travel and financial industries. His focus is on developing new ideas and building teams to execute them, a background that directly informs PiNCAMP's strategy of combining the legacy and trust of major automobile clubs with an agile, technology-driven approach. This structure aims to digitalize the camping industry, which has seen increasing demand outpace the supply of available pitches.

PiNCAMP's business model is a B2C marketplace that connects campers with a comprehensive inventory of bookable campsites across Europe. The platform serves a vast client base, leveraging direct access to the 27 million members of the ADAC, ANWB, and TCS clubs, which represents approximately 30% of the European camping market demand. Revenue is generated through various marketing packages offered to campsite owners, including enhanced online visibility, print media placements in well-established camping guides, and commissions from online bookings. For campers, the platform provides a one-stop solution to find, compare, and book campsites, addressing the growing need for advance booking in a crowded market. For campsite operators, PiNCAMP offers a streamlined way to reach a large, international audience, reduce administrative costs, and improve occupancy rates, particularly during the low season due to differing holiday schedules across Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.