RVs, long popular among baby boomers looking to spend their golden years on the open road, are increasingly being embraced by an unlikely demographic: millennials.
Young couples in their late 20s and 30s are buying RVs in growing numbers, fueling an industry that for decades relied heavily on retirees. As a result, the average age of an RV owner has fallen to 45, down from 48 in 2011, according to the RV Industry Association.
“Very few people are waiting until 50 to buy their first RV,” Scott Byrne, owner of Houston-based Lone Star RV and chairman of the Houston RV Show, told the Houston Chronicle. “People want to get outside instead of waiting until they retire.”
Local dealers such as Byrne are increasingly courting millennials to drive sales at the 55th annual Houston RV Show, running through this weekend at NRG Center. Some 30,000 people are anticipated to attend the five-day show, organized by the RV Dealers of Texas and billed as the largest indoor RV show in the Lone Star State.
