RV Campers - An Untapped Market?

Have you ever noticed those caravans of recreational vehicles (RVs) on our Interstate highways and wondered about them? According to a study commissioned by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), US ownership has reached record levels. Nearly one in 12 U.S. vehicle-owning households now owns an RV - that's nearly 7 million households which is an increase of 7.8 percent over the past four years. A leading force behind the RV sales is the baby boomer market - consumers between the ages of 35-54. Every 7.7 seconds someone in the United States turns 50 and the 50+ population controls more than $7 trillion in wealth and is responsible for 50% of all discretionary spending according to an article written by Joanne Fritz, Ph.D. 

Why the increase in the popularity of RVs? In a survey conducted by Robert Hitlin Associates, bringing the family closer together, having new experiences and teaching a respect of nature were the most important benefits of family RV camping. In addition, nationally there are 16,000 campgrounds that cater to RV enthusiasts that have swimming pools, recreation centers, area tours, evening entertainment, snack bars and camp stores. These campgrounds are typically located near popular tourist attractions and historic sites. 

Families are not the only segment of the population that enjoys the convenience of traveling in an RV. "Outdoors enthusiasts love the freedom, control and convenience that RV travel offers," according to RVIA President David J. Humphreys. RVs provide the versatility of sleeping and dining accommodations as well as the ability to transport their sports equipment ranging from ATVs to snowmobiles to canoes. Some of the newest RVs feature built-in garages - some with hydraulic lifts for easy loading and storage space for just about anything a person wants to store. 

According to the RVIA study, the average RV owner is married, owns a home and has an annual household income of $56,000 and a median age of 49 years. As these boomers enter their prime RV buying years over the next decade, the number of RV owning households will rise to nearly 8 million in 2010 - a gain of 15 percent, outpacing overall U.S. household growth of 10 percent. 

Wisconsin is home to a total of 875,522 young baby boomers whose ages range between 35 and 44. These young boomers have a median income of $52,953. In addition, there are 732,306 older boomers, between the ages of 45 and 54 with a median income of $58,888 (U.S. Census Bureau). In other words - Wisconsin is home to a total of 1.6 million baby boomers. As of January 1st 2003, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation indicates there were 54,344 registered mobile homes and 22,631 motor homes - a total of 76,975 registered RVs. 

Wisconsin's RVers 

In a 2002 study conducted of summer visitors in Shawano and Menominee Counties, RVers accounted for 26% of the total sample. Forty-eight percent of the RVers were baby boomers, 23% were empty nesters (55-64 years old), and 19% were Gen X-ers (25-34 year olds). The majority was traveling with family or a combination of family and friends. Favorite leisure activities included camping, golfing and swimming. Forty-five percent use the Internet to plan their leisure vacations. Twenty-eight percent were experiencing their first leisure trip to these counties. 

Wisconsin's historic site visitors are RV enthusiasts. In a survey conducted of more than 3,000 visitors at historic sites around the state during the summer of 2001, it was found that ten percent were camping in their RVs. In addition to traveling with their family they also travel with a group of family and friends. Two-thirds of these RVers were not traveling with kids. Trip activities included shopping, dining, visiting other area attractions as well as other museums. Camping, traveling, reading, sightseeing and fishing were their favorite leisure activities. 

Department research has shown that word-of-mouth recommendations are typically what most visitors rely on for travel information. Word-of-mouth recommendations ranked lower with RV campers. Wisconsin Tourism Guides, local tourism information, and the Internet were mentioned more frequently than word-of-mouth. 

Think About This: 

• Have you extended an invitation to the RV community through the media they use for travel planning? 

• Family-togetherness is a benefit of RV travel--do your promotional materials reflect this? 

• RV visitors at Wisconsin's historic site indicated they rely on Wisconsin Tourism Guides for travel information. Have you made sure all of the area tourism information is accurate and up-to-date in the Department's shared database, the Extranet? Remember that the Extranet is the base, feeding not only Department publications, but also the Web site, call center, statewide media and radio reports. 

• Have you ever considered the prospects of packaging area amenities? It was found in departmental research (Generation X and Empty Nest/Aging Baby Boomer Focus Groups) that relaxation is important to the baby-boom generation. They ranked relaxation as their third favorite leisure activity. Perhaps taking the "work" out of planning their vacation might be an incentive for new visitors to experience your area. Developing all-inclusive packages for these consumers - discounted lodging at RV campgrounds, dining coupons, discounted coupons for area attractions/museums, bait shop discounts, and retail "bucks" might be enticing them to your area. Making relaxation a focal point in your literature could be an important aspect in your campaign. 

• Have you ever considered inviting the RV campers to your area via the Internet? There are numerous Web sites that cater specifically to RV enthusiasts - perhaps a link to your Web site would be sufficient to entice this population to your area. According to RVIA, the most comprehensive web source is www.GoRVing.com. 

• There are many RV related publications in which you may want to consider advertising. The Department of Tourism conducts the fulfillment for the Wisconsin Campground Directory. Perhaps placing a "co-op" advertisement between area campgrounds in the WACO Directory would provide a bigger bang for the dollar and assist in getting the message to the camping enthusiast. 

• Have you ever participated in an RV trade show? Consideration might be given to participating in RV trade shows by offering incentives or promotions for these travelers to visit the area. Create a weekend getaway with paid campsite, admission to various attractions, and "2-for-1" meal discounts.

For information on obtaining this or other Department of Tourism research documents, please see our Research page.