Dealerships in northern Indiana that sell recreational vehicles are seeing a surge in demand for RVs as people eye summer road trips with their families in place of air travel and cruise ships amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Darryl Searer, president of the RV Museum and Hall of Fame, said RV manufacturers in Elkhart and southern Michigan have worked extensively to fulfill orders for customers tired of being stuck at home. He said the RV industry saw record sales last month at dealerships in Wisconsin, Missouri, Colorado and Arizona.
“Millennials and young people with families are buying RVs,” Searer told The Northwest Indiana Times. “We’ve been cooped up for 60 days and people want to travel with their own food and bed and schedule and be their own boss. You can take an RV to national parks or to tailgate at football games, whatever your passions are.”
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Inquiries have doubled and sales have increased by at least 50 percent at Recreation Plantation Inc. in Lynwood, just across the state line in Illinois. The RV dealership, family-owned for the past 33 years, is currently run by Ray, Leann and Brandon Benninger.
“With the COVID-19 crisis, people see us as the only way to safely travel,” Ray Benninger said.