The Canadian recreational vehicle industry is navigating a landscape of both opportunity and uncertainty.
While the sector faces ongoing threats about tariffs, more Canadians are looking into going local with their RV travel.
Tariffs have generated uncertainty for Canadian RV dealers, who rely heavily on imports from the U.S. market, the CBC reports, as published on MSN.
Shane Devenish, president of the Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association (CRVA), said that while RVs have thus far avoided the 25% auto tariffs from the U.S. and corresponding retaliatory tariffs from Canada, dealers have proactively begun stockpiling units as a precautionary measure.
“[We’ve] certainly got our fingers crossed that we won’t be hit.… It would tremendously affect our industry with these tariffs if they come on,” Devenish told Shelley Joyce, host of CBC’s Daybreak Kamloops.
The majority of Canada’s RV inventory is manufactured in Elkhart, Indiana, known globally as the “RV capital of the world.”
Devenish acknowledges this reliance on U.S. manufacturing as a significant concern due to tariff threats but recognizes the complex competitive advantage that the American market holds, including an established workforce and robust supply chains within a concentrated region.
Allison Blouin of Fraserway RV in Kamloops, British Columbia, echoes the sentiment of uncertainty but points to rising domestic interest as a potential silver lining.
With growing economic tensions and trade disputes between the U.S. and Canada, Blouin anticipates a surge in Canadian travelers opting to explore domestically, benefiting the local RV market.
“The RV industry, I think, is going to be a beneficiary of that,” Blouin noted, highlighting Canadians’ renewed desire to support local businesses and communities through domestic tourism.
Fraserway RV, which both sells and rents RVs, has already observed increased business from Canadian travelers, as well as international visitors from Europe and the U.S.
Reflecting this domestic shift, Kamloops-based graphic novelist Karl Willms is choosing to explore Canada by RV rather than venturing abroad.
Previously accustomed to spending extensive periods traveling internationally, Willms and his wife now plan to traverse Canada’s smaller towns, emphasizing their commitment to supporting local economies and experiencing Canada’s vast cultural landscapes firsthand.
With uncertainty around tariff impacts still looming, the Canadian RV industry remains hopeful that increased domestic travel interest will buffer any potential economic challenges.