The Dyrt found that 50% of private camping properties added campsites in 2023 in response to continued demand from the booming camping industry.
These statistics are from the newly released 2024 Camping Report presented by The All-New Toyota Tacoma, the most in-depth and comprehensive look at the camping industry to date.
Property managers across all 50 states were surveyed to gather information for the 2024 Camping Report. The addition of new campsites was spurred in part by results from the previous year’s report, when 58.4% of campers reported difficulty booking a site because a campground was sold out. That number decreased to 45.5% last year.
“The current state of camping in America would have been inconceivable just five years ago, back when only the most competitive of campgrounds were booked up all summer,” says The Dyrt CEO Kevin Long. “When the pandemic hit, camping became a bigger part of people’s lives. It hasn’t let up and properties are responding to the demand.”
More than a third (34.7%) of the properties surveyed expanded an existing camping type in 2023. The top two types for expansion were RV sites at 26.2% and glamping at 22.1%. Also, 46.9% of properties added an entirely new type of campsite, with glamping leading the way at 10%.
“We expanded last year and again this year,” says Tim Murphy, founder of Emberglow Outdoor Resort in Mill Spring, North Carolina. “Last year we added a 30-foot yurt, a safari tent and seven RV sites. After seeing the success of the new additions, we decided to add 12 more RV sites for the 2024 season. We are responding to the feedback that people loved our Outdoor Resort but it was difficult to find availability. Having more sites also allows us to do more in the way of events, on-site music and amenities for all to enjoy.”
In addition to adding new sites, 25.5% of camping properties expanded their calendars, offering more dates for campers to book. Fall was the most common season for properties to expand their available dates followed by winter, an increasingly popular time of year to camp.
