Camping Expected to Remain Hugely Popular in 2021
Camping got a big boost in popularity over the course of 2020, and it’s not about to stop in 2021. According to Kampgrounds of America’s annual North American Camping Report, 10.1 million people camped for the first time in 2020, over a third of whom cited COVID-19 as a key driver.
The report shows that over 60 percent of these first-time campers plan to camp at least just as often in the coming year as they did in 2020. A whopping 86 million U.S. households consider themselves campers, while 48 million of these took at least one camping trip in 2020 — that’s six million more than in 2019.
Remote Work: What you should know about working from an RV
But just because more people are camping doesn’t mean they don’t want to stay connected. The majority of new campers, and 54 percent of millennials, say they sometimes or always work while camping, up 11 percent from 2019. Incredibly, access to Wi-Fi or cell service extends the average camping trip by six nights, double the amount it was in 2018.
Camping is also more diverse. “One of the most encouraging trends of this year’s data is the continued growth of diverse communities engaging in camping for the first time and becoming even more engaged, like Black campers having the highest intent of all camper sub-groups to purchase an RV this year,” said Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of KOA.
RV Shopping: If you’re a first-time RVer, learn about the different types of RVs!
Though camping popularity was already growing before COVID-19, it experienced a major upward surge since the outbreak of the pandemic. In particular, RV camping became has become exceptionally popular as people came to view RV camping as a safe way to travel and avoid crowds. The number of households that own RVs has grown from 7 million to 9.6 million since 2019, and the number that camp in an RV has also grown 1.6 million.
About half of new RV owners say they want to upgrade in 2021, suggesting increased enthusiasm for the lifestyle. Additionally, about half of first-time campers also say they plan to purchase an RV in the next 12 months.
All in all, it’s a good time to be an RV service technician!
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.