We’ve heard much in the past year about the boom of outdoor travel and while this may appear trendy, camping is not a new phenomenon, A press release states Campspot Software. Campspot is a company that provides a reservation and management system for campgrounds, as well as an online marketplace to find RV resorts, family campgrounds, cabins, glamping options, and more.
So, what could be the cause for this increased trend of people preferring to spend their time outside? The pandemic or something else?
Campspot has released the inaugural annual State of Camping Report, one of the first of many forthcoming industry resources. Campspot, the company that aims to provide greater convenience at campgrounds for travelers and owners alike through their products, provides an insight into the continued growth of the outdoor industry and seeks to understand not just how people camp and the reason for camping, but who they are camping with, where they camp, and what equipment will help them when they go out on camping trips.
Campspot explains in the report how camping offers an oasis of simplicity that provides individuals, families, and nature with a state of relaxation that fuels the opportunity to connect.
You can scroll through the full report below or find it here.
- Family, Friends, and Full Relaxation: Family vacation time (27%) was the No. 1 reason consumers say they camp, and not surprisingly, family is who most respondents said they typically camp with (52%). Camping with friends was the second most popular response when it comes to camping companions (22%) followed by a spouse (12%), organized camping or outdoors group (8%), and solo (6%). Closely following family vacation time, relaxation (25%) was the second most popular reason for camping.
- Amenities That Matter: High-quality showers/bathhouses (36%) were the top amenity that matters most when booking a campsite, followed closely by family activities (32%).
- Soaking Up Your Surroundings: When asked to rank the two most important aspects when selecting where to stay, the ability to see the night sky was one of the top responses at 61%, coming in only second to beautiful surroundings/wildlife at 65%.
- Trending for spring: Over the past five years, Spring Break has led to roughly a 40% increase in sites booked compared to the surrounding dates, but in 2021, the increase jumped to approximately 70%.
- Trending for summer: As of May 10, there were almost half a million reservations placed for Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend — 30,000 of those reservations were completed in the first week of May.
- Trending for fall: Advanced reservations for fall 2021 increased by 24% vs. fall 2020.