The caravan and camping sector can lead the road to recovery for regional tourism with an average spend of $584 per trip according to Tourism Research Australia, and over 500,000 travellers indicating they’d take a camping trip within two months.
This has the potential to kick-start the recovery for tourism and inject over $292 million dollars directly into the hands of regional tourism operators who rely on caravanners and campers travelling to experience a wide variety of attractions.
The intention to go caravan and camping is significantly higher than general travel intention, with only 12% of the broader Australian population planning to book a holiday in the next three months, indicating that caravan and camping travellers are seven times more likely to take a holiday in the next three months than the rest of Australians.
With restrictions beginning to ease in parts of the country, this is great news for the many regional communities who rely on this market to support local jobs. With over 711,000 registered RV’s and thousands of free-standing roofed accommodation options, it presents a massive opportunity for towns all around Australia.
Most caravan and holiday parks have implemented COVID-19 safe guidelines already, catering for permanent residents, essential workers and stranded caravanners. This includes contact tracing, social distancing and increased hygiene regimes in common areas and amenities. Unlike other accommodation they also don’t have shared lifts and lobbies or shared air-conditioning facilities.
This economic opportunity is reflective of the pent-up demand of those that own caravan and camping product which has been sitting idle for months.
