Kampgrounds of America (KOA)’s Monthly Research Report for September projects that 10.6 million households – 25 percent of all active camping households – anticipate camping in September. Across the United States, 54 percent of campers indicate that they are planning a camping trip to explore the changing colors of fall foliage. The most popular locations for these “leaf peeping” trips include Vermont, New York and Colorado.
“Over the last few years, we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of fall campers,” said Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of KOA. “Between the scenery and the weather, it’s a wonderful time to get out and explore. Last year, as COVID restrictions loosened in many areas, we saw a dramatic increase in campers – between early September and the end of the year registration revenues were up more than 25 percent.”
The report further found that while the outlook for fall is strong, COVID is still influencing campers. Nearly 24 percent say that they have cancelled a planned fall camping trip due to COVID concerns, up slightly from August. Conversely, nearly 1-in-4 campers say they plan on taking more camping trips, camping more nights or replacing other trips with camping trips due to the pandemic. New international restrictions are prompting 16 percent of campers to say they plan to replace a European vacation with a fall camping trip.
“The effects of COVID continue to be felt in every industry and camping is no different,” said O’Rourke. “What’s definitely promising for now and future is that camping continues to be a really trusted form of travel. Our research tells us that campers consider camping a safe form of travel. We’ve seen that first-hand throughout our business and camper feedback.”
The full monthly report from KOA in PDF form can be found here.
