More Than 15M Households Expected to Camp In July

KOA’s Monthly Research Report for July projects that 15.93 million households will have camped in July by the end of the month – Sunday – which is a number similar to 2021. The report notes that some respondents did admit changing plans due to economic factors.

“This year is very different than 2021, and we’re encouraged that people are still turning to camping as a vacation option,” said Whitney Scott, chief marketing officer of Kampgrounds of America. “Even amidst uncertainty from external factors, campers are proving the importance of the activity as they make plans. People are finding ways to camp because it’s a part of their lifestyle.”

While lower gas prices are less of a concern compared to previous months, shifting economic considerations have caused 77% of camping households to adjust their camping plans. Shifts include taking trips closer to home, fewer camping trips or stay in locations longer. In the past 30 days, 12% said they canceled some of their camping plans. It is also notable that other travel is also affected by financial concerns, with 35% of campers indicating they have or plan to replace another vacation option with a camping trip in 2022.

“Travelers have multiple factors impacting travel decisions, whether economic or the instability of air travel,” Scott said. “Knowing this, we continue to innovate our offerings to attract that business and provide superior outdoor experiences.”

Amongst the subset of campers who say they will not be camping this year, financial reasons, difficulty finding a site and not having vacation time were the top reasons. Gas prices, which have dropped slightly, fell as a reason for not camping.

The July Monthly Research Report also shared how far in advance campers are booking. Most (20%) indicated that they reserve their campsites three to five months in advance. Similar amounts said they prefer to book one month (18%) or six to twelve months (18%) in advance.

KOA’s monthly reports are located here.