IO_Summer_21

Inside Outdoor | SUMMER 2021 31 move through adulthood and GenZers age into adulthood and thereby gain more freedom and resources to manage their own adventures. In 2020, 58 per- cent of new campers fell into those two generational groups, rising steadily from 51 percent in 2017. GenZ represented 17 percent of first-time campers in 2020, about triple the 6 percent they accounted for in 2017. Overall, half of GenZ camp- ers in 2020 said they were new to camp- ing within the past few years. Also notable, first-time camp- ers were older than ever in one way. Somewhat surprisingly, 12 percent of first-time campers were members of the Silent/Mature generation, show KOA figures. That’s in line with the 11 percent of U.S. households headed by someone in that age group, but it’s significantly higher than the 3 percent to 5 percent of first-time campers that came from the Silent/Mature genera- tion during the past few years. Indeed, within this oldest age cohort, one-in-five started camping or started camping again in 2020. This is reflected in the fact that last year first-time campers were twice as likely as experienced campers (31 percent vs 15 percent) to say they took their grandchildren camping for the first time in 2020, possibly making the grandparent/grandkid scenario a more interesting market segment. In terms of future plans among first timers and some messaging that might resonate, new campers are significantly more likely than experienced ones to say matters of personal income, both good or bad, and the economy will influence their intentions to camp moving forward. This suggests that both the vacation value of a campsite could be emphasized to this group as well as camping’s softer, more luxurious possibilities. The presence of children and grandchildren also plays a particularly strong role in first timers’ future camp- ing plans. And newbies also are slight- ly more likely to say Internet connec- tivity and the ability to work remotely are important factors, again suggest- ing a slightly more tech-dependent profile than traditionally targeted. A few aspirational elements of camping that were especially ap- pealing to new campers, KOA data suggests, include the feeling of “living independently” and the desire to “ex- plore new areas.” Likely connected to desires for dis- tance and isolation, tent camping was more popular than ever with first time campers, as well as campers overall. Since KOA begun tracking the new camper cohort in 2015, tents were the preferred accommodations for a low of 39 percent in 2019 to a high of 53 percent in 2017. Last year, tents were preferred by a whopping 67 percent. It’s good news considering a tent pur- chase helps campers’ chances of having positive early experiences, KOA data suggests. Among new campers who purchased a tent, 71 percent reported to having a “great” first experience. Asian and Asian American camp- ers prefer tent accommodations at the highest rate, at 76 percent of those surveyed, followed by the 73 percent of Hispanic/Latinx campers who prefer tents to cabins, camper- vans or otherwise. Among all camp- ers, 64 percent prefer to sleep in a tent when camping. KAO estimated that about 40 per- cent of 2020’s new campers would return to campgrounds in 2021, but two-thirds are “highly likely” to con- tinue camping down the road. About a third of first timers said they expected to camp more often in 2021. These projections might be optimistic in a year when unique factors had such a lopsided impact on demand. Even so, new campers in 2020 and moving through 2021 still represent a uniquely large and lopsided number of new customers to convert to life-timers. New campers also are a uniquely diverse group of campers, ethnically and economically, and in attitude and stage of life. They are particularly open to trying new types of camping experiences, open to the RV experi- ence and “van life,” but they choose camping for their own reasons. Con- verting many of these customers, it would seem, will require unique and diverse approaches. m Interest in Trying New Camping Experience Source: KOA “Glamping” experience A backcountry/ backpacking experience An “overlanding experience An RVing experience where you travel in an RV from destination to destination Become a full-time RVer Decide to live the “van life” 53% 48% 59% 44% 51% 58% 53% 46% 35% 45% 30% 44% First-time campers Experienced campers