Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) highlighted the connection between outdoor recreation and public health during the inaugural National Executive Forum on Health and Outdoor Recreation held in Washington, D.C., where company president and CEO Toby O’Rourke participated in discussions with healthcare, government, and recreation industry leaders.
The invite-only forum, hosted by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, brought together more than 130 executives, policymakers, and industry representatives to explore how outdoor activities may help address challenges related to mental health, chronic disease, and overall well-being.
Organizers said the event focused on cross-sector collaboration, research, and scalable approaches that position outdoor recreation as part of preventive health strategies.
KOA participated as both a sponsor and contributor to the event, drawing on findings from its annual Camping & Outdoor Hospitality Report.
According to the company, the report tracks consumer travel behavior and outdoor recreation trends over time and has become a key source of data within the camping and outdoor hospitality sectors.
During the panel discussion titled “The Health x Recreation Challenge and Opportunity,” O’Rourke discussed the role of camping and outdoor hospitality businesses in expanding access to outdoor experiences.
“Camping sits at the intersection of two critical and converging priorities, health and human connection,” said O’Rourke after her presentation. “Our research not only tracks how people travel, but why they seek the outdoors in the first place. The findings are clear, access to nature is not a luxury, it is foundational to wellbeing. Outdoor hospitality has a meaningful role to play in delivering that access at scale.”
Data presented from KOA’s 2026 Camping & Outdoor Hospitality Report indicated that wellness remains a significant factor in travel planning for many outdoor travelers. According to the company, 77% of campers surveyed said being in nature improves their wellbeing even without organized activities, while 61% identified slowing down and being present as their primary travel objective.
The report also found that nearly half of travelers book outdoor trips to recharge or support mental health, and 81% reported improvements in sleep quality and stress recovery while spending time outdoors. More than half of the parents surveyed also said unstructured outdoor play was an important consideration when planning vacations.
For campground operators, glamping businesses, RV parks, and outdoor hospitality professionals, the growing emphasis on wellness-related travel may present opportunities to expand programming, marketing, and guest services around relaxation, nature access, family experiences, and mental well-being.
Industry observers have increasingly pointed to wellness-focused travel as an area of continued consumer interest, particularly as travelers seek experiences that combine recreation with personal health benefits.KOA, which has operated for more than 60 years, said its network includes more than 500 franchised and company-owned campgrounds across North America. The company also operates Terramor Outdoor Resorts, a glamping-focused brand that opened its first property in Bar Harbor in 2020.