The Future of Campgrounds Is Incredible, Make It Even Better With Resnexus

We're going to discuss a recent history of campgrounds, accommodation types and today's traveler trends and how to capitalize on these trends with ResNexus.

A Recent History of Campgrounds

How Big is the Camping Market?

77 million American households contain someone who camps
Over 40 million Americans took an RV Trip in 2019
1/3 of the U.S. population over age 6, camped at least once since 2016
Since 2014, there has been a 72% increase in the number of campers who camp three or more times a year
Millennials make up the largest segment of campers at over 56%
The average number of days (nonconsecutive) camped is 14.5

The RV Industry Association reported 46 million Americans planned a trip in an RV in 2020.
That is a significant spike of 2019 and 2021 will likely be even bigger.

Why are we seeing these trends?

We have been forced to innovate for one big reason: COVID-19. Just because there is a global pandemic doesn't mean the world stopped turning. In fact, in some regards just the opposite.

COVID-19 has irreversibly shaped our world going forward. Many of you have likely seen it accelerate some trends and stop others in their tracks.

Some of us in the campground industry have had record years while others are cutting back.

Why campgrounds?

Many experts agree that there is this pent up demand to travel and get back to normal as soon as possible.

There are several points that present a risk when it comes to travel. Guests are still weighing these risks. Airplanes have recycled air, uber rideshare, and even getting to your hotel and B&B all present health concerns. The thing you can guarantee no one else has occupied is your RV or tent.

Travelling is about control. RV & campings trips give guests a tremendous amount of control and reassurance around your vacation.

You can:

• Control When you go
• Control How you go
• Control Where you go
• Control Who you have contact with to keep your family safe
• Control How much you spend: meals are cheap and other supplies for camping are relatively cheap

There is a very low financial hurdle for people to get into camping. Tent sites are inexpensive and they offer an easy weekend get-away. Plus of course, camping has the added benefit of naturally being socially distanced.

People are looking to get outdoors; the number of RV shipments are forecasted to gain 20% in 2021.

KOA reported that in 2020 their new campers percentage was an astounding 26%. They normally see 2-3% every year.

So now I want to talk about my second part of my presentation: accommodations and traveler trends.

Accommodations and Traveler Trends

The mindset is shifting away from traditional accommodations towards authentic, transformational, and meaningful experiences that come from travel and being outdoors.

Even non-campers are going outdoors.

For those of you not familiar with RVShare, it is like Uber for RVs. An individual owns the RV and guests can just rent it from them through their app.

Well they also saw a huge increase in 2020 of people renting RVs. 80% of RVShare's customers in 2020 were new to RVshare. That is a massive increase.

So a lot of new people went camping this last year, and we expect this trend to continue, especially if travelers bought camping equipment like an RV or a tent.

According to RV Share, Millennials are most likely to rent an RV in 2021 with 73% of them answering in the affirmative. 68% said this was a direct result of COVID-19.

And a majority find RVs to be a good workspace.

Another example of trends happening is although 37% feel safe at the beach, the next two places people feel safe are national parks (31%) and mountains resorts (30%).

Hiking (94%), clean air (50%), nature (44%) and relaxation (33%) all ranked high according to a Booking.com survey. Their research shows that over two-thirds of travelers (69%) will look to appreciate more simple experiences such as spending time outdoors or with the family while on vacation. Over half (56%) will seek out more rural, off-the-beaten-path experiences to immerse themselves in the outdoors.

Now let's look at how to capitalize on campground trends in 2021.

How to Capitalize on these Trends

1. Review your revenue strategy for 2021.

One of ResNexus certainly under utilized tools is known as Yield Management or Revenue Management

If you set it up correctly in your back office, as demand increases so will your price for accommodations.

Know your competition. You don't want to be priced out of the market. You need to be competitive.

Being that we anticipate, depending on your area, this summer bringing high demand, you should require a minimum night stay. This helps to reduce workload. Plus we see that people want to stay longer anyway.

2. Another way to make sure you are prepared for this season is to make the most out of your marketing efforts with a new website.

Campgrounds are notorious for having clunky or outdated websites.

Your property website represents the best opportunity for high-volume, low-cost bookings.
It is your most valuable owned asset in the digital landscape.

Hospitality websites need to all be mobile friendly, SEO optimized, ADA Compliant and feature Things to Do in your area.

Think mobile first.

And of course, safety is still top of mind even for campgrounds. Make sure to keep your cleaning guidelines on your website and have your COVID protocols clearly detailed with a link from your homepage.

3. Utilize Online Travel Agencies.

Online Travel Agents were born out of the hotel industry to help people book flights, car rentals, and accommodations.

However we know that these are the brands many young people are familiar with and the OTAs is where you will get your future travelers.

OTAs are a great way for you to be found, your online billboard.

AirBnB or VRBO are good options if you have a cabin you want to ensure gets booked. Now, if you are already sold out this summer, you likely don't need to use these OTAs and save yourself that commission.

If you are seeing that higher demand at your property, raise your rates. Likewise, know that since you have a rapidly expiring product, I would use OTAs to sell last minute bookings.

OTAs are not good for repeat business. They are good for discovery. If you see a reservation come through an OTA, it's a great opportunity to collect their personal email so you can market to those guests directly.

Here's a summary of the article below.

In Conclusion

To wrap up the campground trends that will continue in 2021:

• First and foremost, guests want to know that you are open and have covid safety measures in place.
• Promote value adds over discounts as that moves the needle a bit better.
• No risk bookings is no longer an option. Free or Flex cancellation is expected in 2021
• When it comes to marketing, your best return on investment is likely going to be on former or prior guests. Re-engage with those people who have stayed with you before. Market to them hard.
• The biggest opportunity campgrounds have is to market to small group gatherings. I really think micro-weddings, outdoor themed events, conferences where it is easier to socially distance are going to be really big this summer. Think of all the birthdays that went uncelebrated, think of all the events that got cancelled. Your property can capitalize on this.

We hope you can follow with the trends of 2021 to match your customer's changing needs.