As camping season approaches, Alberta (Canada) remains at the forefront of a growing trend in the recreational vehicle (RV) industry, with new RV and fifth wheel sales picking up pace. This increase comes after a sluggish period marked by economic hurdles, offering a hopeful outlook for the sector.
In 2023, the RV market experienced a downturn influenced by rising living costs and increased interest rates which escalated the prices of new RVs. Travis Weaver, the business manager at Arrkann RV, described the previous year as challenging. “In 2023, we saw a bit of a lull coming through the market. The cost of living went up, interest rates were up, the price of new RVs was up,” Weaver told Calgary CTV News. However, the tide is turning in 2024 as these economic pressures begin to stabilize, and consumer interest revives.
Arrkann RV, along with competitors Fraserway RV and Traveland RV, are engaging in a friendly competition known as RV Wars. This event is strategically timed at the start of May to capitalize on the upcoming camping season, enticing potential buyers with the prospect of new adventures. “We want to do this sale kind of right at the start of May. Gives people some time to get in, pick their new units up, get them home, loaded, so they can head out camping when their first trip comes around,” explained Weaver.
The Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of Canada (RVDA), with Eleonore Hamm as its president, monitors these trends closely through data provided by Statistical Surveys Inc.
Hamm provided a detailed overview of sales over the past five years, indicating fluctuations in consumer buying patterns. In 2019, 45,693 new units were sold across Canada, followed by a slight dip in 2020 with 44,972 units. A peak occurred in 2021 with 53,183 units, but sales dropped significantly in the subsequent years, reaching a low of 34,610 in 2023.
Despite the national downturn, Alberta has consistently demonstrated resilience in the RV market. “So while we were down in 2023 by about 21 per cent in sales, Alberta actually has always been very strong. Alberta only saw a drop of about seven per cent in 2023,” Hamm noted.
This resilience is partially attributed to a demographic shift within the RV market. The typical RV purchaser is no longer predominantly older adults; instead, younger families in their 40s are now the primary buyers. This change reflects a broader trend towards adopting RVing as a lifestyle choice rather than just a recreational activity. “It used to be obviously an older consumer that was really going camping, whereas now, the demographic, the median age of an RV purchaser is in their 40s. It’s the young family. The focus has shifted a little bit, in terms of just being a vehicle for camping, in terms of now being a real lifestyle vehicle,” Hamm elaborated.
Ownership statistics underscore the robust nature of Alberta’s RV market, with nearly one in five Alberta households owning an RV, compared to 14 percent nationwide. “Fourteen per cent of Canadian households own an RV but in Alberta, it’s about 20 per cent of the households, so a very strong market,” said Hamm.