By Kampgrounds of America
As summer enters its final weeks, camping activity remains favorable compared to last year, despite a slight July decline post the successful July 4th holiday. Outlook suggests strong camping participation for Labor Day, with higher commitment compared to 2022.
This information is key to RV and boat storage developers, operators and investors, due to strong correlations between outdoor recreation and toy storage businesses. As trends toward time spent in the great outdoors continue to rise, so do sales of RVs, boats and outdoor-rec vehicles of all kinds, increasing the need for consumers to store their cherished, expensive toys.
About three-fourths of campers have already made plans for the holiday weekend, indicating more decisiveness than last year. Nearly 64% of campers plan to delay trips until after Labor Day, potentially boosting later-season travel.
In 2023 thus far, weather conditions have prompted changes in travel plans for 67% of campers. Anticipation for 2024 travel is already beginning to manifest among campers, with almost half of campers already booking 2024 travel compared to only 11% of leisure travelers. Nearly half of all campers say changing weather patterns will impact their outlook for 2024. Top travel changes will be booking closer to travel dates, altering accommodations, and choosing locations less prone to wildfires.
Roughly one-third of campers are definite about experiencing the solar eclipse next year, with half showing moderate interest. Campers exhibit a more positive economic outlook than non-camping leisure travelers. Only 20% of campers find the economy worse than last year (compared to 40% of leisure travelers), while 60% see improvement. Despite this, 60% of campers note increased campsite booking costs compared to last year. Cost adjustments include cutting back on food and entertainment spending during trips. Campers with a favorable economic view increase spending in visited areas and take longer vacations or camping trips.
KOA continues to track camping incidence and behavior of all campers throughout the United States and Canada monthly. This special report evaluates the camping market from both a look-back at previous months as well as a look-forward to show the trends for how the market continues to evolve.
KOA’s mission is to connect people to the outdoors and each other. The organization is affiliated with 500+ campgrounds across North America, striving to make it easy for campers and outdoor recreationists to enjoy the beauty of nature and share adventures with family and friends. Campgrounds feature many amenities, from pull-in sites for RV trips or campsites to pitch a tent, whether it be next to mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans or wide-open range. For more information, visit KOA’s website.
