Kampgrounds of America (KOA) released its Families & Kids report, the seventh installment of the Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report series, which examines the evolution of the camping and outdoor hospitality industry over the past decade.
The report underscores the role of camping in family dynamics, with over three-fourths of family campers believing it strengthens their relationships.
The Importance of Family Camping Experiences
- 43% of camping families say a love of the outdoors sparked their initial camping trip, while one-third of family campers mentioned the need to escape, and another third said they camped as part of a greater family trip.
- Family campers represent a more avid set of campers, with 34% taking three or more trips in 2023, compared to 23% of all other campers, and 54% intending to camp more this year than last year, compared to 40% of all other campers.
- New families represent a more diverse group of campers, with white families making up only 38% of the population of new campers, as opposed to 62% of all other campers.
“At KOA, we’ve long understood the deep value of camping with kids,” said Toby O’Rourke, KOA president and CEO. “This report highlights that the future of camping and outdoor hospitality rests with our youth. Children who camp with their families are far more likely to continue camping as adults, making it crucial to engage them in outdoor activities now to ensure a vibrant, enduring camping culture for generations to come.”
Camping with Children
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- Parents are not the only ones camping with kids; 37% of grandparents take their grandkids on at least one camping trip without their parents.
- 62% of new camping families opted for a campground with lots of services and amenities for their first camping experience.
- 93% of families say their camping experiences are used to help their children gain an appreciation of the natural world.
Demographic Camper Profile & Multigenerational Camping
- Millennials are the largest demographic, making up 46% of family camper households.
- Asian campers saw the highest increase in camping since 2019, with a 30% uptick.
- Nearly three in 10 Generation Z campers and two in 10 millennials take trips with their parents or grandparents, with Hispanic and Black households most likely to engage in multi-generational camping.
To view the full 2024 Families & Kids report, click here. Additional supplemental reports will be released in the coming weeks, exploring several topics more in-depth, available at koapressroom.com.
The results of the most recent iteration of the North American Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report are based on a total of 4,100 surveys completed among a random sample of U.S. (2,900) and Canadian (1,200) households. All surveys were completed only via an outbound solicitation sent to a randomly selected cross-section of U.S. and Canadian households. In order to calculate overall incidence, the sample of respondents was statistically balanced to ensure that the results are in line with overall population figures for age, gender and ethnicity. Some results may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.