The Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA) has recently released new data showing a significant increase in caravan and camping holidays across the country. Amid rising living costs, these holidays have become the first choice for Australians seeking value-for-money holiday offerings.
The data for the March quarter showed a 24% surge in travel numbers, with people embarking on 4.5 million trips and spending 18 million nights caravanning and camping.
This increase takes the annual rolling figure for trips to 15.5 million and 62.3 million nights, surpassing the pre-COVID figures of 14 million trips and 59 million nights.
This data indicates that caravanning and camping is the number one provider of nights for holidays in the country in the March quarter. This trend provides strong support for regional and rural economies, with 90% of trips taken in regional areas.
Seeing growth in the industry is always great to see, but in the face of uncertain economic times, these numbers demonstrate the everlasting strength of our customer offering and our immense value for money proposition,” Stuart Lamont, CEO of the CIAA, said.
He added that Australians’ love affair with their country is growing, with more time spent in regional and rural towns. This growth is even more encouraging, knowing that 89% of these trips are being spent in areas needing the support.
The demand for RV products is evident in Australians’ love of road-tripping. With approximately 800 thousand registered RVs, they embody the adventurous spirit and more importantly, are putting money directly into the hands of many regional small businesses.
On average, travellers spend AU$867 per trip in a caravan park, creating over AU$11.2 billion of visitor expenditure annually.
Despite economic challenges ahead and a softening in consumer confidence, the caravan and camping industry remains the backbone of the domestic tourism industry and a major contributor to the country’s economy. The industry looks forward to continuing to build on the AU$27 billion worth of annual economic value to the Australian economy.
“It is clear to see that Australians are travellers, with continued high costs associated with overseas travelling and flailing international tourist figures we look to continue to be the industry of choice for people wanting a getaway from their everyday,” Lamont said.
This trend of increased caravan and camping holidays amid the cost of living crisis is not just an Australian phenomenon but is being observed globally.