The  American Glamping Association officially launched last week this mission: to advance the quality of the glamping community through information and awareness.

Glamping—a term that blends the words glamorous and camping—is an industry that’s quickly gaining popularity, according to Sarah Dusek, a cofounder of the new group and CEO of glamping company Under Canvas.

“Glamping is growing fast and furiously in the U.S. and is becoming more and more mainstream,” Dusek said. “I felt that that the glamping industry needed an anchor in the U.S. to help create clarity for the consumer, confidence in the industry, and standards to help everyone who goes glamping have incredible experiences.”

There’s no doubt that glamping is gaining momentum, said Ruben Martinez, a cofounder of the association and the cofounder and CSO of glamping booking company Glamping Hub, but it’s still a relatively new concept. And because of that, there’s a sense of isolation among the owners of glamping resorts—of not knowing where to turn when they have questions. They’re also forced to “wing it” or “improvise,” said Martinez, since there’s no centralized source of information or organized network of peers.

With that said, “one of the overarching goals is to make that glamping world in the United States smaller and more connected and intertwined,” Martinez said.

The association will also provide tools and resources on everything from working with local governments to obtain permits to securing financing.

Down the road, the American Glamping Association hopes to provide some standardization to the industry, which Dusek and Martinez think will work to create a higher level of professionalism in the industry, as well as educate consumers on what they can expect from a glamping experience.

“We hope to help prepare people better and potentially set them up for a great experience and opening the door to more consumers giving the experience a try,” Martinez said in a press release. “Because one bad experience can potentially stop someone from ever glamping in the future, the importance for standards is crucial.”

Right now, the association is collecting the information of those interested in becoming members, namely glamping resort owners or those interested in building a glamping business.

“The interest has been great so far,” Martinez said.

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