Park Owners Note Health of RV Industry at Hershey RV Show

A new demographic of RVer has been showing up at parks and that has meant increased business for many, according to campground owners/operators at America’s Largest RV Show.

As campgrounds in the northern parts of North America look to finish their seasons strong and those in parts of Florida and Texas sweep out the cobwebs to get ready for snowbirds, the RV industry and related providers gathered in early September in Hershey, Pa., for the annual version of America’s Largest RV Show.

Campgrounds were well-represented among the vendors in the Giant Center, so WOODALLSCM.com (WCM) stopped by several booths to see how the season was progressing and to talk shop with a few of those representing campgrounds.

Donald G. Bennett Jr., president and CEO of the Campground Owners of New York (CONY), echoed the sentiment heard from nearly every campground at the show. The summer season — though not a complete sellout — was extremely strong and with fall activities such as Halloween and apple-picking season around the corner, he expects a strong finish to the season.

“But we’re seeing some evidence that the tire-kickers who came into RVing during the pandemic may be going back to cruises and things like that,” he said.

Still, he said, New York campgrounds are seeing the results of what RV industry watchers have been reporting over the past two years. As sales of vehicles skyrocketed following COVID-19, a whole new breed of customer entered the market as first-time buyers swarmed showrooms ready to buy.

The result was a younger age bracket and multi-cultural buyer that has become a strong player in the RV industry. Manufacturers see this new demographic as boding well for future RV sales, even if the economy continues to struggle.

Don Bennett

“We’ve been seeing a lot more diversity, which is great,” Bennett said. “We strive to continue to reach out to new adopters. It’s like everything else, the future success is going to be tied to affordability, which I think is going to bode well.”

Another change Bennett said that is showing up across New York is the number of people bringing in their towables and parking them for the season. He said the result has been a boon for campground bookings that he calls “off the charts.”

He said almost every campground has waiting lists that includes hundreds of campers.

“I think part of that is fuel prices and some people who are new to the industry just weren’t very good at towing,” Bennett said.

The campgrounds and the association also have been working to help accommodate not only those new customers but also the new vehicles that are coming on the market.

That means not only larger campsites for longer vehicles but also campgrounds that have electrical systems in place that are ready for units that rely more on solar power and shore power and less on propane to keep those refrigerators and air conditioners running.

Several manufacturers at the Hershey Show, especially those of Class B models, displayed RVs that had eliminated propane altogether. Most rely on the vehicles’ fuel supply to power generators, although one manufacturer had eliminated the generator and added a second alternator to the chassis to help power the lithium battery set while the vehicle’s engine is running.

Such new technology means campgrounds will need to keep up, and Bennett said CONY has already taken steps to do just that.

“As an association, we’ve been working with lobbyists as well as power companies to try to get more power into the parks,” he said. “We’ve just signed a deal with Livingston Energy out of Schenectady to build some EV charging stations. We’ve got some education and some work to do there. We’re trying to be as proactive as possible.”

Bennett acknowledged that it is unlikely that campgrounds are going to see a lot of electric trucks towing fifth-wheels or other trailers right away because of the limited range of most of the trucks, but there is the beginning of a shift in power consumption that the campgrounds need to be ready for, he said.

Another example is that many water heaters in today’s vehicles have switched from propane as a source of fuel over to electricity.

Bennett said that even without an immediate lineup of electrical vehicles waiting to be charged, campground owners need to change the way they look at their customers. Even across the Plains of Kansas, certain stops such as fast-food restaurants now have banks of Tesla charging stations for electric vehicles.

“You have to think of it like, if you were going somewhere and you knew they didn’t have a gas station, would you want to go there?” he said. “We’ve got to at least have the options and if the numbers don’t initially bear it out, that’s OK. We’ve got to make it easier for them and to let them know that the associations working to give them that option.

What About in the South? 

Looking to the campgrounds whose busy seasons are about to start, campground brands such as Camp Fimfo (owned by Northgate Resorts) with locations in Texas, Nature’s Resort in Florida and The Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park & Campground in Florida all reported good summer activity, while stressing that their truly busy season is still waiting to kick off.

Zoe Anderson, of Camp Fimfo, said its location in Waco, Texas, already had a particularly strong July. Fimfo’s Vanessa Smith-Hernandez said the group benefits from already having a good supply of full-size campsites that will accommodate the largest vehicles, as well as ample supplies of shore power and hookups.

Bob Witmer, of Ja-Mar RV Resorts`based in Port Richey, Fla., also reported strong bookings.

“We’ve been doing great ever since COVID,” he said. “We’re completely booked through the winter, but cancellations will always happen, so we’re here (at the Hershey Show) to keep our name in it.”

Steve Bridgewater, of Nature’s Resort in Homosassa, Fla., said his campground’s goal is to keep visitors busy. He said there is plenty to do including live music on weekends and pontoon boat rides.The site includes full-sized campsites as well as cabins, pull-through sites and even a marina.

“If you don’t have fun here, it’s your own fault,” he said with a laugh.

The Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park has a very specific niche for its clientele. The campground is rarely booked full, as it has more than 1,000 renovated campsites, but the campground is based around music festivals, and when the festivals are in full swing through the winter, business is hopping.

“Starting around the end of August, everything is go, go, go,” said Michael Thomas.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/park-owners-note-health-of-rv-industry-at-hershey-rv-show/