Mar Azul, the group’s first site in Latin America
First reported in our columns in November 2025, Huttopia’s arrival in Mar Azul is now taking shape. The campsite will open its doors on 4 December 2026, at the start of the Argentine summer season. It will operate each year from December to April, with its first season running until 30 April 2027.
The site lies in an extensive pine forest close to the Atlantic Ocean, around four hours from Buenos Aires. It covers 55 wooded hectares, 20 of which have been developed. At opening, it will offer 240 bare pitches and 20 equipped canvas-and-wood units. It will also feature a swimming pool blended into its natural surroundings and a centre de vie – the communal hub characteristic of Huttopia sites, which houses the bar-restaurant among other facilities.
New accommodation types may be added to the offer at a later stage. The site is showcased on the group’s Argentine platform, huttopia.com.ar.
The choice of Mar Azul is not solely down to its seaside location. The resort has retained its identity, with its sandy streets, wooded areas and local shops. It also sits on the doorstep of the Faro Querandí nature reserve, known for its dunes, coastal forest and unspoilt shoreline. The beach is just a few minutes’ walk away.
Target of 60,000 overnight stays
Huttopia Mar Azul is ultimately targeting 60,000 overnight stays a year. The campsite is expected to create between 15 and 25 direct jobs and more than 70 indirect jobs – the order of magnitude the group generally observes when it enters a new region.
According to Huttopia, creating a site or converting an existing campsite in Argentina represents an investment of around €3–5 million. Development is led by teams specialising in camping and tourism, based at the group’s offices in Buenos Aires and Mar Azul.
A project developed with local stakeholders
The move into Argentina is the result of more than ten years of work with local authorities, tourism stakeholders and national park managers. These discussions focused on a camping offer suited to the country’s specific characteristics and to the challenges of preserving natural areas. The Mar Azul project, located in an emblematic spot for domestic tourism, grew out of this work.
Huttopia believes the conditions are now in place for it to play an active role in developing nature camping in Argentina. The group intends to bring its experience in managing high-quality infrastructure integrated into natural settings, in order to meet the new expectations of Argentine campers.
Four campsites planned in national parks
In parallel, the group has submitted a proposal to Argentina’s national parks to develop and operate four campsites at the heart of the country’s most remarkable natural sites. The proposal was filed as an “Iniciativa privada”, an unsolicited expression of interest. It was recognised as being of general interest this week.
This recognition opens the way to new opportunities in several national parks. These include Iguazú and its falls; Iberá, the largest freshwater system in Latin America; and Los Glaciares, home to the Perito Moreno glacier. Los Alerces, with its thousand-year-old trees, is also mentioned.
A partnership in preparation with the Automóvil Club Argentino
Huttopia is also working with the Automóvil Club Argentino (ACA), a long-standing player in mobility and tourism in the country. The two parties are preparing a partnership to convert existing ACA campsites into Huttopia sites in destinations popular with Argentines. A first site is expected to be announced in the coming days.
The Argentine strategy therefore rests on three levers: creating new sites, as at Mar Azul; a project to operate campsites in national parks; and converting existing assets. This approach extends the group’s long-standing model, built on partnerships with managers of natural areas. That model has been rolled out in the state forests of France’s Office national des forêts, in national parks in Quebec and Spain, and in forests and national parks in the Netherlands.
A buoyant domestic market and a long-established camping culture
According to the group, Argentina brings together several strengths for nature tourism. The country boasts natural assets across its entire territory and a domestic market of more than 46 million people. Huttopia also highlights an economic environment that has become stable, as well as a genuine camping culture.
As early as the 1930s, the national parks were organised around dedicated outdoor areas. For its part, the ACA created landmark sites such as the Chascomús campsite in 1926 and the Carlos Paz campsite in Córdoba in 1941. In the decades that followed, several trends firmly anchored camping in Argentine leisure habits: family tourism, the car, and the seaside resorts of the Atlantic coast and lake districts.
A gradual ramp-up
Michel Durrieu, Managing Director of Huttopia in charge of Development and International, described Mar Azul as the group’s first foothold in Argentina and the start of a broader reflection on developing its model in Latin America. He said the group intends to open further sites but wishes to proceed gradually, with its priority being to consolidate its presence in Argentina with five to six sites, driving new projects that are consistent with its model and beneficial to the host regions.
For 27 years, Huttopia has selected natural sites and installed lightweight, reversible accommodation with a reduced impact on their environment. Its aim is to develop an accessible, close-to-home tourism offer that combines quality hospitality with the preservation of nature.
Huttopia was founded in Lyon in 1999 by the Bossanne family. The group now operates 193 campsites in nine countries under the Huttopia and OnlyCamp brands. It recorded 5.5 million overnight stays this year.
The group has also diversified its activities, with its stake in Elegancia and the launch of its Bivouacs Huttopia platform.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Huttopia opens its first campsite in Argentina
Huttopia Mar Azul opens on 4 December 2026 on Argentina’s Atlantic coast, around four hours from Buenos Aires
55 wooded hectares (20 developed): 240 pitches and 20 canvas-and-wood units at launch
Target of 60,000 overnight stays per year; €3-5m investment per new or converted site
Four-campsite proposal for Argentine national parks recognised as being of general interest; ACA conversion partnership in preparation
Goal of five to six Argentine sites by 2030; group operates 193 campsites in nine countries
