If ever there was a time to demonstrate the value of campground industry associations, it is now, according to Campground Association Management Professionals (CAMP), which is comprised of the executive directors and CEOs of state campground associations across the country.
“There is no question that campground and RV park operators are better informed and, in many cases, still operating because of the hard work of state campground association managers,” said Michael Moore, a past president of CAMP and general manager of the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO).
As the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified, state campground association managers have been working overtime, engaging in conference calls with state governors, state offices of emergency services and health officials at both state and county levels. These managers have also been participating in frequent conference calls with government relations and marketing officials from the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) and the RV Industry Association, sharing information and ideas on how best to position campgrounds and RV parks as “essential businesses” that must be allowed to stay open.
In many cases, state campground association managers have either succeeded in convincing state and local officials that private parks are “essential businesses” or they have found ways to work with county officials to ensure that these parks can continue to operate, particularly since many of them are used by full-time RVers who have no place else to go.
“These parks, which provide water, electricity, sewer and, in most cases, LP gas services, cannot be allowed to close for health and safety reasons because many of the people staying at these parks are sheltering in place and have no place else to go,” said Dyana Kelley, president and CEO of CampCalNow RV Park and Campground Alliance. “The last thing we need right now is to have a humanitarian crisis on wheels.”
State campground associations have also been working around the clock to keep their members informed with email updates and blog posts.
Kelley has been involved in frequent meetings with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office of Business and Economic Development, as well as California’s Office of Emergency Services and CalTravel’s COVID-19 Task Force and staying up to date on legislation that could affect the private park business. She has also been working with Visit California to begin marketing efforts targeting outdoor recreation and camping and working with national industry partners, including RVIA and ARVC, to create appropriate messaging.
For more information on CAMP, or for links to its affiliated state campground associations, visit www.campgroundexecutives.com.