Following eight years of continuous expansion and increased interest in camping, as well as the pandemic causing a surge of new campers, The 2022 study revealed that camping is now a popular and widely accepted alternative for leisure travel. The survey found that 40% of leisure travel includes camping, but more than 80% of leisure travelers opt for camping or Glamping on at least one of their journeys. This indicates that camping plays a significant role in the tourism and hospitality industry.
“Our research shows that camping is one of the primary ways households prefer to travel and spend their leisure time because 75% of campers say it reduces stress and contributes to their emotional well-being,” said Whitney Scott, chief marketing officer at Kampgrounds of America. “Camping is driving leisure travel’s recovery and its benefits will fuel future market share.”
Since the KOA’s initial North American Camping Report was released in 2015, The amount of households who camp across Canada and the U.S. and Canada has grown by 77 percent. The number of camping trips increased steadily between 2014 and 2019. The industry saw an increase of 31% in the number of people who camp at least once every year over a five-year timeframe and a rise of 36% over two months (from 2019 until 2021). In 2021 the survey found that 57 million households said that they took at most one camping excursion in the past year, a 18% increase over 2020 and the most significant annual change since the publication’s inception. Of the totality of North Americans polled, nearly half (48 percent) are involved in both camping and another type of leisure travel. In contrast, around one-in-20 households use camping as their sole source for leisure activities.
Glamping and RVing continue to gain popularity. About half of all campers in 2021 clamped at least once, while nearly 15 million households have gone for a trip by RV at least once to experience the great outdoors. In the past, most RVers borrowed or rented RVs for their trips, and 77% of the RVers currently own their RV. Similarly, the desire to purchase an RV is high even among those who do not own RVs, with 32% stating they’d like to buy an RV in 2022.
Other essential conclusions of the report 2022 North American Camping Report include the following:
The Rise of the Urban Camper
- The year 2021 saw the first time that the increase in the number of urban dweller was one of the more frequent camping categories for both excursions and nights in the camp.
- Urban campers prefer to stay in tents (66 percent). If they own a vehicle, it is highly likely to own an RV (82 percent).
- They’re looking for a range of exciting new experiences in 2022. This includes the RV (58 percent) and camping in the backcountry (54 percent) and trips on the road (54 percent) and overlanding (51 percent) and Glamping (50 percent).
- Music festivals are one of the most sought-after motives for urban campers to go outside, With 44% camping out for these events in 2021.
- Looking forward to 2022 In 2022, 44% of the group plan to replace a leisure excursion with camping with the current economic situation and the desire to avoid crowds as significant reasons for their decisions.
Remote Work Camping is Here to Stay
- Since the pandemic has caused permanent ripple effects on how Americans do their work, this change has also impacted the camping industry. The total number of campers is 46%. Trailers are working at least one of their journeys, an increase from 41 percent in 2020. This includes 57% of millennials.
- Nearly half of campers rate WiFi as crucial (48 percent), affecting their ability to stay in camp, extend their travels, and stay connected to work whenever needed.
The RV Boom
- RV owners are at a record high, with 11 million owners ampin’ last year and two million new renters coming in 2021.
- There’s been a dramatic rise in peer-to-peer RV rentals Seven-in-10 non-RVers have said they’d like to rent through a peer-to-peer platform which includes 79% of those who are millennials.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Outdoors
- New campers are more diverse than the general population of trailers, and 54% of the new trailers identify as not white. In the present, approximately one-third of families of campers include those who self-identify as Hispanic, Black, Asian, or any other non-white
Celebrating 60 years of service in 2022, the popularity of KOA’s campgrounds continues to rise. In 2021 KOA has confirmed the opening of 26 brand new locations. KOA’s future openings include camping facilities across Virginia, California, Alabama, Nebraska, Oregon, and Alberta and an expanded Billings, Mont corporate headquarters.