Call it a case of cooped up consumers creating pent up demand. Deprived of traditional spring and summer vacations that might include crowded flights and hotel stays due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, individuals and families are busting out on the open road in recreational vehicles where their rides are their lodgings.
“This is an epic snap back in demand,” said Garry Enyart, Chairman of the RV Industry Association. “We went from literally nothing, to, as weather started to improve, people who have been cooped up for several weeks, looking for things to do started visiting RV dealers.”
When the pandemic first hit, dealer inventories were fairly light, since February and March are typically slower months. Then it got worse as production shut down for about seven weeks from late March to the first week in May.
But once the units started rolling off the assembly lines and onto dealer lots as the weather warmed, sales hit a torrid pace.
“I talked to one dealer who said he’s selling four times the units he’s receiving which is pretty crazy,” noted Enyart. “You can almost liken it to looking for masks during the pandemic, or hand sanitizer or toilet paper or paper towels. It has been remarkable.”
Click here to read from entire article on Forbes.com from Ed Garsten.