Month: October 2024

BILLINGS, Mont. – The latest installment of the annual Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report from Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) reveals the trends reshaping the camping landscape. The Campground Modernization report highlights the shifts seen in the travel and outdoor hospitality space in the last 10 years. Notably, there has been a shift in the travel industry led by millennials, the largest generational group in North America, through their travel behaviors and demand for more modern amenities.

Modern Campers Desire Modern Amenities

• Many privately owned campgrounds have begun to diversify their offerings, due to the growing demand for unique accommodations like cabins, safari tents, treehouses, and tiny homes.
• Convenience continues to push camping behavior, with eight in 10 non-campers and seven in 10 campers stating they are interested in staying at a campground where the RV is set up before arrival.
• More than half of campers say they would choose a campground that has sustainability practices over one that does not, with 54% of millennials being more likely to choose a campground based on sustainable practices.

“As the travel industry continues to evolve, we’re beginning to see a shift in how campers are looking to experience the outdoors,” says KOA President and CEO, Toby O’Rourke. “Private campgrounds and outdoor hospitality resorts have led the charge in modernizing amenities and the guest experience. Campers today have learned to expect services and amenities that make their stay more comfortable.”

Technology Enhances Camping Experience

• As technology continues to play a pivotal role in modern camping, Gen Z campers have noted they will spend an extra nine days camping when they have access to technology.
• Wi-Fi has become a crucial amenity for many campers, especially among millennials, Gen Z, higher-income households and urban campers. Nearly half of new campers say it is the most important amenity when choosing a campground.
• Four in 10 campers view text message updates and digital check-ins as an important feature to the camping experience.

Evolution of Transportation in Camping

• Electric vehicle charging stations have become an important amenity for campgrounds with many campers saying they’d consider a campground if it offered a charging station. Notably, 80% of campers who own or plan to own an electric vehicle would use them for camping purposes including car camping, tent camping or glamping.
• No-car camping grows in popularity especially among campers who reside in urban areas and those from higher income households to eliminate the hassle of driving.

To view the full 2024 Campground Modernization report, visit http://koa.uberflip.com/i/1526930-2024-koa-c-oh-report-campgroundmodernization/0?.  Additional supplemental reports will be released in the coming weeks, exploring several topics more in-depth, available at KOAPressroom.com.

Survey Methodology

The results of the most recent iteration of the North American Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report are based on a total of 4,100 surveys completed among a random sample of U.S. (n=2,900) and Canadian (n=1,200) households. Within the U.S. sample of households, results are stratified by Census Region: Northeast (n=725), Midwest (n=725), South (n=725) and West (n=725). Overall, a sample of n=2,900 U.S. households is associated with a margin of error of +/- 1.82 percentage points, while a sample of n=1,200 Canadian households is associated with a margin of error of 2.83 percentage points. All surveys were completed only via an outbound solicitation sent to a randomly selected cross-section of U.S. and Canadian households. In order to calculate overall incidence, the sample of respondents was statistically balanced to ensure that the results are in line with overall population figures for age, gender and ethnicity. Some results may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.

About KOA

Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA) is a pioneer in outdoor hospitality and an emerging trailblazer in the travel industry with a mission to “connect people to the outdoors and each other.” The company comprises two unique brands: KOA and Terramor Outdoor Resorts. KOA offers an unrivaled brand visibility, providing campground owners and operators unparalleled support in campground education, design, recruitment, marketing and technology. With more than 60 years of expertise, KOA is the world’s largest system of privately owned, open to the public campgrounds, consisting of more than 500 franchised and owned campgrounds. Terramor Outdoor Resorts, a glamping venture, delivers a refined and upscale outdoor experience.

As a steward of outdoor recreation access, KOA uses 1% of pre-tax profits to fund the Kampgrounds of America Foundation, which strives to increase opportunities for all to access and engage with the outdoors, make positive impacts in the communities where we live and work to help preserve outdoor spaces for years to come.

For more information, visit KOA.com and TerramorOutdoorResort.com.

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Hosted by the Michigan Association of Recreational Vehicles and Campgrounds (MARVAC), the 35th Annual Fall Detroit RV & Camping Show opened Wednesday, Oct. 2, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich.

The RVBusiness Featured Video is sponsored by CURT, a Lippert towing brand.

The post Slideshow: Highlights from 2024 Detroit Fall RV Show first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

The Glamping Show Americas was marked by two days of heavy activity as investors, developers, park owners…etc. from around the world gathered to take in educational sessions and the nearly 200 vendors.

David Korse, who was organizing his last show after the recent announcement that it had been acquired by Emerald, told Woodall’s Campground Magazine that it appeared the show would break last year’s attendance record of 1,694.

“We don’t count the people who registered, but never made it to the show,” he added.

One of Korse’s main priorities was ensuring that the vendors all had a great experience.

“We want to hear that people are buying things,” he said. “I spoke with one accommodation manufacturer who said he did over a half million dollars in sales on the first day and that the units he has out there are not coming home with him.

“Plenty of other exhibitors indoors are getting solid leads and I spoke with one exhibitor who said he wasn’t sure if he should come or not, but is happy he did,” Korse added. “He said ‘We should have been here two years ago.’ So, that type of feedback is very positive.”

On the education side, Korse explained that attendees seem to be more sophisticated and the sessions are geared to match that.

“We had a session on artificial intelligence and what that means to park owners,” he said. “I don’t understand any of it, but the people in that room are learning what they need to know. We’ll continue to try and target the sessions for things that people could do differently tomorrow than what they were doing yesterday to their benefit.”

The show’s acquisition by Emerald was a surprise to many, and Korse said he is excited about how the new owners can grow the show.

“Now we’ve got a company with really good experience and resources who can look at it with fresh eyes and say, ‘I wonder why they didn’t do that,’ or, ‘Why were they doing that?’ and that’s what we always do when we see something new to us,” he said. “I’m confident about them. I get to stick around and watch for a year to make sure that it works well. It’s bittersweet with people, but it’s time to go on to the next thing.”

To learn more about the show, click here. 

The post Glamping Show Wraps Up Another Successful Show in Colo. first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

Black Book, which publishes a family of vehicle appraisal guides, has released the Black Book RV market commentary for October.

“The average values for Motorhomes and Towables sold at auction fell slightly last month.  Once again, motorhomes saw an unusually high percentage of expensive Class As crossing the block.  The towable decrease is likely due to the beginnings of seasonal patterns.  As more 2025 models continue to arrive on dealer’s lots we expect used values to trend downward as we head further into Fall,” reported Eric Lawrence, Black Book principal analyst – specialty markets.

“Taking a closer look at the markets, we see that the average selling price for motorized units was $68,309, which is down $2,047 (2.9%) from the previous month.  Towables came in at $19,048, down $263 (1.3%) from last month.  One year ago the average motorhome sold for $68,166 and the average towable unit brought $21,053.”

Auction volume was mixed: motorhomes decreased 12.5% while towables increased 0.1%. 

The average age of motorhomes was 10 years old (2014) and towables was five (2019).

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The RV Industry Association (RVIA), along with over 300 other organizations, have called on President Joe Biden to take immediate action to end the ongoing dockworker strike which has halted operations at all East and Gulf Coast container ports, according to a report on the RVIA website’s News & Insights page.

The RVIA also reported that during last week’s Elkhart RV Open House, Go RVing conducted a satellite media tour broadcasting live TV segments highlighting the RV industry’s newest products on display for dealers in Elkhart. 

Regarding the dockworker strike, the RVIA noted that impact on the economy is severe, jeopardizing billions of dollars in commerce daily and affecting various sectors reliant on imports and exports.

• Manufacturers face shortages of crucial components.
• Retailers risk missing holiday sales.
• Farmers can’t sell crops overseas.

Immediate federal mediation is needed to reopen ports and resolve contract disputes.

• The administration must encourage negotiations in good faith.
• Resolving this swiftly is crucial for economic recovery and national security.

Click her to read the full letter.

During the satellite media tour, auto and RV expert Mike Caudill went live on FOX Business for three separate segments to discuss the latest RV innovations coming out of Open House, like the THOR Test Vehicle and Winnebago Connect. Mike was interviewed during:

• Varney & Co: Watch the Clip
• Cavuto Coast to Coast: Watch the Clip
• The Big Money Show: Watch the Clip

As part of the satellite media tour, Caudill also went live in media markets across the country to highlight nine different RV products.

• The excitement of Open House and the new RVs was brought to consumers in Detroit, Boston, Chicago, Albany, Youngstown, Indianapolis, and Raleigh.

In addition to the live TV coverage, product video were filmed by the Go RVing team all week and will be featured in the coming months across Go RVing’s social channels to spread the work directly to consumers seeking new RV purchases.

The post RVIA Urges Action on Strike; Go RVing Hosts Media Tour first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The 45,000 dockworkers who went on strike Tuesday for the first time in decades at 36 U.S. ports from Maine to Texas may wield the upper hand in their standoff with port operators over wages and the use of automation., according to an article by the Associated Press.

Organized labor enjoys rising public support and has had a string of recent victories in other industries, in addition to the backing of the pro-union administration of President Joe Biden. The dockworkers’ negotiating stand is likely further strengthened by the nation’s supply chain of goods being under pressure in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which has coincided with the peak shipping season for holiday goods.

Little progress has been reported in the talks. The U.S. Maritime Alliance, the group negotiating for the ports, said both sides did budge from their initial positions. The alliance offered 50% raises over the six-year life of the contract. Comments from the union’s leadership had briefly suggested a move to 61.5%, but the union has since signaled that it’s sticking with its initial demand for a 77% pay increase over six years.

The union is also pointing to shipping companies’ record profits, which have come in part because of shortages resulting from the pandemic, and to a more generous contract that West Coast dockworkers achieved last year. The longshoremen’s workloads also have increased, and the effects of inflation have eroded their pay in recent years.

In addition, commerce into and out of the United States has been growing, playing to the union’s advantage. Further enhancing its leverage is a still-tight job market, with workers in some industries demanding, and in some cases receiving, a larger share of companies’ outsize profits.

“I think this work group has a lot of bargaining power,” said Harry Katz, a professor of collective bargaining at Cornell University. “They’re essential workers that can’t be replaced, and also the ports are doing well.”

The dockworkers’ strike, their first since 1977, could snarl supply chains and cause shortages and higher prices if it stretches on for more than a few weeks. Beginning after midnight, the workers walked picket lines Tuesday and carried signs calling for more money and a ban on automation that could cost workers their jobs.

Click here to read the full Associated Press article.

The post AP: Dockworkers May Have Negotiating Edge in Port Strike first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

It’s obvious to most Americans that the epic impact of last Friday’s (Sept. 27) Hurricane Helene will likely extend for months – if not longer – for some of the millions of victims hit by what looks like the most violent storm since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, which killed 1,392 people and and caused $125 billion in damages around New Orleans.

Helene’s tally thus far: 162 dead across six states and nearly a million powerless homes and businesses amid widespread flash flooding and landslides isolating countless people in western Carolina and elsewhere, according to this morning’s national media reports

Among those scrambling to assist in the recovery in this business sector is Denver-based OHI, formerly known as the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds, which is openly appealing for emergency funding for impacted parks and issued this appeal yesterday for donations to its Disaster Relief Fund.

“Wherever your park is located in the country, you can do something to help your fellow campground owners and their communities,” a widely circulated release stated. “Donate to the OHI Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund, which will go directly to campgrounds affected by this natural disaster. Your donations will make a difference for your fellow campground owners AND the communities they call home. If you’d like to share your willingness to assist those in need with shelter and other needs, visit our Facebook group, Campfire Voices, and leave a comment on this post.”

In light of all this and the fact that this whole turn of events is about to enter its second week, RVBusiness and its sister publication, Woodall’s Campground Magazine, touched bases earlier today with David Basler, chief strategy officer for OHI, a trade association representing private RV parks and campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada. The highlights of that conversation are as follows:

RVB: Looks to us like it’s been a heck of a week, David, for you and your constituency.

Basler: Yeah, and not just our constituency. There’s lots of members of the outdoor hospitality community that have been affected that aren’t members of our organization. Of course, our focus as a national association is obviously on our members, but our goal is to help the whole industry.

RVB: And what are you seeing out there right now?

Basler: “Well, the latest update that I have so far is that we’ve heard from more than 50 campgrounds from across the five (impacted) states — and the five states I’m talking about here are Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, obviously – primarily RV parks that have sustained what I would describe as severe damage, major damage. In at least four cases that we know of the campground is completely gone, and there’ll be an extensive rebuilding over the course of the next few months, multiple months probably in some cases.

RVB: Have you ever seen anything like it before?

Basler: Well, there are plenty of people like Jeff Sims (OHI’s director of state relations and program advocacy) who have been around here long enough to remember Katrina, which, from what I’m seeing on the news lately was the worst in documented history. So, it’s possible that our friends in the New Orleans area and Louisiana and Mississippi and that area where Katrina hit experienced this or worse, but that was before my time in the industry.

RVB: So, what’s the focus of your organization’s collective efforts at this point?

Basler: Well, as OHI, our number one focus is still working with our friends down in the Carolinas and the other states’ associations to get contact with a lot of these parks. I mentioned the number 50 that we’ve heard from, but there are plenty of others that we haven’t heard from, largely because of remaining power outages and the like. So, communication right now is really bad. I spent yesterday on the phone trying to reach people and working with people like CARVC’s Dee Witting in the Carolinas. And I know that Dee is actively trying to communicate with parks down there in the Carolinas. I’m sure other states, Florida and Georgia are doing the same, and we’re trying to do it from the national level.

We’re just trying to communicate and to get in touch with these parks to make sure they’re okay. That’s step No. 1. Step No. 2 is where the OHI Foundation comes in, and that’s making sure that the parks that have been affected get aid as quickly as possible from the Disaster Relief Fund. And that, over the course of the last few years with all the disasters that have happened, has been depleted. So, we’re actively campaigning for donations at the moment to try to replenish that fund so that we can help these campgrounds. And we put a email out yesterday-

RVB: We had noticed your releases along these lines.

Basler: Yes, with a goal, and this is an important update we wanted to give you because we put that out yesterday, thinking that a $75,000 goal would adequate. And we had it in our head that if we could help 15 campgrounds, that would be great, and the demand has just been overwhelming. We’ve already received more than 20 applications, and that number’s going to go up, and if each of those campgrounds gets the $5,000 grant from the foundation, that’s $100,000 right there. We’re likely very soon going to be increasing that goal, probably to at least $150,000 if not higher because the need is just so great. As for an update on where we are with the donations received, the last I heard, which was late yesterday, was that we were coming close to $30,000. We are still a ways away from those goals. We need people to chip in and help us help these campgrounds.

And the other piece I think it’s important to note here is that the foundation is a 501(c)(3), and these donations go straight to the campgrounds. I’m not steering people away from any other way of donating to any other great cause out there, but I think that’s one of the things that makes the foundation really special in our industry is that money comes in and it goes straight back out to the campground that applies, and we make sure that those campgrounds in the most need are getting funds quickly. But we’ve got to have the funds to do it.

RVB: Considering your comments, last week’s natural disaster has obviously been a huge diversion for all of you at OHI.

Basler: Well, yes, it’s changed our focus, but that’s not unusual for a national organization that has to be nimble and go where the members most need us. But one thing I also would say is that the change to our day is nothing compared to what the changes have been for the affected parks. Although I’ve lived through natural disasters including a number of tornadoes growing up in the Midwest, I have a hard time even imagining what they’re going through right now. It’s just kind of unfathomable.

The post OHI is Raising the Bar in Terms of Hurricane Funding  first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

RVing in New England,” the weekly Facebook Live show hosted by the New England RV Dealers Association (NERVDA), this week features a report on the devestation caused by Hurricane Helene as well as a report from The Glamping Show.

Co-hosted by Bob Zagami and John DiPietro, tonight’s show airs at 7 p.m. ET.

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CHANHASSEN, Minn. – Waytek, a family-owned specialty distributor of automotive electrical components, announces a product expansion with the manufacturer Switch Components. Effective immediately, according to a release, Waytek will begin stocking Switch Components’ USB charging ports and will continue to roll out additional product lines in the near future.

“We are excited to announce this significant expansion to our line card,” said Rob Iversrud, Senior Product and Category Manager at Waytek. “With the expansion of the USB charging ports, our customers will benefit from an increased selection of high-quality electrical components from a trusted manufacturer, in stock and ready to ship.”

Switch Components is a premier manufacturer of switches and other electrical accessory parts for the maritime industry as well as for automobiles, RVs, off-road vehicles, and camping cars.

Waytek now stocks Switch Components’ USB charging ports which include the type C, 2.4-amp configurations needed for use with the latest cell phones and electronic devices. In the future, Waytek will introduce additional Switch Components’ product lines including electrical switches, switched fuse blocks, battery disconnects and related battery management products.

“Switch Components’ emphasis on quality control and in-house design and manufacturing make us an ideal fit for Waytek and its customers,” said Jim Kalb, Owner and President of Switch Components. “We value Waytek’s industry-leading reputation as a reliable stocking distributor and share their commitment to high quality and exceptional customer service. We’re looking forward to a continuing and growing partnership in the years ahead.”

For more information about Switch Components and to order from their product offering, visit their supplier page on the Waytek website.

About Waytek

Waytek, Inc. is a customer-driven distributor of automotive wire and DC electrical components serving OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), wire harness manufacturers, and upfitters across North America. A family-owned business founded in 1970, Waytek commits to providing exceptional service to our customers, shipping more than 99.5 percent of in-stock orders on the same day*. We partner with product manufacturers known for premier quality and take pride in creating a consistent sense of purpose and unity for our employees. With a mission to provide an exceptional customer experience, we do our part so our customers can do theirs.

About Switch Components

Switch Components is a brand of Triad Components Group, Inc. based in El Cajon, CA and sister brand of OptiFuse, a manufacturer of fuses, circuit breakers and related circuit protection products. For nearly 25 years, Triad Components Group has been providing electrical parts for light-duty automotive, heavy-duty truck, RV, off-road vehicle, and marine markets. Today Switch Components has become a veteran manufacturer producing a variety of switches, disconnects, USB ports, trailer connectors, switched fuse blocks, bus bars, switch panels, and other electrical accessory products, serving both domestic and international customers. For more information, go to www.switchcomp.com.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) welcomes the release of a new report from the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce providing recommendations for regional economic development through outdoor recreation. The report is an outcome of President Biden’s executive order in April 2022 that directed the Secretaries of Agriculture, Interior and Commerce to develop recommendations for community-led local and regional economic development opportunities related to outdoor recreation and sustainable forest products, according to an ORR release.  

“This kind of cross-agency collaboration on this first-of-its-kind report is further testament to the central role that outdoor recreation plays in creating resilient economies, connecting communities, and improving public health and well-being,” said ORR President Jessica Wahl Turner. “We applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for recognizing increasing access to outdoor recreation as a climate solution and leveraging robust investments to support community vitality. We look forward to implementing the report’s takeaways with the hundreds of communities across the country looking to make their economies more resilient and diversified through the benefits of the great outdoors.” 

The report includes several recommendations to ensure that rural leaders, often strapped for time, resources and expertise, are able to tap into the outdoor recreation economy with federal grants and technical assistance. These recommendations include: 

• Continuing to work with communities to identify and address barriers to growth through the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR) and other initiatives. 
• Implementing provisions of the MAPLand Act and 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act to inventory assets and improve public access to Federal lands. 
• Utilizing available authorities to support maintenance and adaptation of recreation facilities through long-term planning that incorporates evaluations of climate risk and corresponding adaptation strategies. 
• Reauthorizing the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act and the Great American Outdoors Act.  
• Coordinating across the Federal Government to utilize programs like the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities Program to support economic development for underserved communities and resilient infrastructure.  
• Investing in collection and management of data on recreation, in consultation with communities and the public, to help inform agency and community understanding of current demand, emerging needs, patterns, and trends.  
• Invest in research and development for outdoor recreation, such as the Economic Development Administration’s program evaluation of the Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Program, and disseminate lessons learned to help the sector grow. 

The report’s recommendations would be supported significantly by passage of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by unanimous consent this year and is awaiting Senate action. EXPLORE contains provisions that would improve access to public lands and waters and ensure even more Americans have access to the physical, mental, and community benefits of outdoor experiences – all with no additional cost to taxpayers. 

On Tuesday, Oct. 1, ORR will convene 70 leaders from across the country in Pennsylvania to identify funding priorities, organizing principles, and local strategies for rural economic development through outdoor recreation. The forum is part of ORR’s ongoing efforts to uniquely convene industry leaders and government officials to provide a space for thought-leadership and cross-sector inspiration and advances the organization’s leading role in rural economic development through outdoor recreation including the widely acclaimed Rural Economic Development Toolkit. 

About ORR     

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable is the nation’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation associations representing the more than 110,000 outdoor businesses in the recreation economy and the full spectrum of outdoor-related activities. The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that outdoor recreation generated $1.1 trillion and 5 million American jobs in 2022, comprising 2.2% of the nation’s economy and 3.2% of all employees in the country.  

The post ORR Touts Fed Report on Outdoor Rec.’s Economic Impact first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.