Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America – KOA – said a survey it conducted since coronavirus hit the U.S. shows that the camping industry may rebound faster than other types of travel.
In a special COVID-19 edition of KOA’s North American Camping Report, the company said that before the pandemic, camping accounted for 11 percent of all leisure trips, while post-COVID-19, camping may account for 16 percent.
Leisure traveler participants of the special survey, conducted April 27-30 in order to obtain real-time perspective on camping, shows that campers are eager to resume their activity, with 41 percent still planning to take their planned camping trips and only 13 percent indicating they will postpone.
Interest among prospective campers – those who did not camp pre-COVID-19 but say they are now interested in camping – is also promising, KOA said. Thirty-two percent of these prospective campers now express interest in camping.
Among all leisure travelers surveyed, 46 percent rank camping as the safest type of trip to take once travel restrictions are lifted. In addition to being a safe way to travel, camping fulfills a desire to be outdoors, which, not surprisingly, 43 percent of leisure travelers say is now more important as a result of the pandemic.
“As we begin to define what our ‘new normal’ looks like, camping is intrinsically poised to meet the desire to travel amidst current health and safety concerns,” said Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of KOA. “We believe in the health and societal benefits of being outdoors and, when appropriate under local state and provincial guidelines, Kampgrounds of America will be ready to welcome seasoned and prospective campers to our campgrounds.”