The Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) Monthly Research Report – August Edition indicates more than 25 million households plan to camp over the Labor Day Holiday. The weekend kicks off a healthy fall camping season with campers s increasing their camping trips. Continuing the healthy camping demand predicted in KOA’s annual North American Camping Report released in April, the report predicts a strong season.
Observing the camping audience, 58 percent say they plan to camp over the LaborDay holiday. While 30 percent share they only plan to camp for the long weekend, an impressive 42 percent indicate they plan to extend their holiday. Of this group, 22 percent are expected to camp the entire week before or after Labor Day, while a similar number (21 percent) will likely add a few extra days to their trip.
“Labor Day is looking to outpace Memorial Day, which is often seen as the most popular camping holiday,” said Whitney Scott, chief marketing officer of Kampgrounds of America. “Between brightening economic conditions and the continued growth of late summer and fall camping, it’s apparent that camping isn’t just confined to a season.”
Looking forward to the fall season, most campers reported they plan to camp the same amount (30 percent) or more (25 percent) than autumns of the past. Impressively, 22 percent indicated they are going on all or most of their camping trips in the upcoming season. Only 8 percent said they would not camp this fall.
“We’ve always found fall is one of the best times to camp, and campers certainly agree,” Scott said. “Across our business, advanced deposits are up 2.1 percent, with many of those reservations falling in September. Fall camping isn’t a secret anymore.”
Additional insights in the August Monthly Research Report show the effect of shifting external conditions on camping. A third of campers (34 percent) said they had replaced other vacation plans with camping due to inflation. Difficulties with air travel have also reflected positively on camping, with 31 percent of campers taking more or longer camping trips due to flight challenges.
Similarly, 28 percent say they plan to book more camping trips in response to negative non-camping travel experiences.
View the August report by clicking here.
