b'Industry Predictionsfrom page 17The ability to work remotely is going to drive peoplehave done since 2014. There will be greater demands for RVs with a workspace or flex space, to camp more in 2021, according to some experts. and people renovating RVs to suit their needs. RV manufacturers will (hopefully) recognize theneed to create new floor plans and improved layouts to cater to this fast-growing market segment.Campgrounds owners may also seize the opportunity to upgrade their internet connectivity andeven create a co-working room or hotspot style space for guests to work from during their stays. Jen Young Young is the co-founder and CMO of Outdoorsy,a community-drivenRV marketplace for renting RVs directly from local RV owners. Out-doorsy just surpassed 2.9 million booked days on Outdoorsy.com sincethe company was founded in 2015. Of those days, 1.25 million bookeddays were recorded in 2020 alone (almost half of 2.9M) and the companywas on track to celebrate three million booked days this fall. More working-from-the-road RV use There will be more workingon the road and RV use than ever before. This is certainly believable, considering that work canbe found wherever you open your laptop.Campgrounds will be booked out by February 2021 Due to overall new demand for outdoorrecreational travel and activities we will see campgrounds booked earlier this year. Typically The 2021 camping season will be very differenthappens around March/April for popular spots, we are predicting Feb. this yearso book now! 2021 will be an inflection point for people who have traditionally loved and enjoyed campingMore families will take to private lands, boondocking and dry campingAmericans will and RVing. If you, like us, have camped for decades, the future of camping will look significantlytake to the rustic locations and broad landscapes have captivated the American population and different from what we have experienced before. This difference will be most obvious in thewe know that once consumers learn they can have more, theyll never settle for less. places you camp and the folks you camp around.Visitors to our state and national parks will skyrocketState and national parks will see The primary driver of this change is the fact that in 2020 we added 20% more new campersmore visitors and campers than traditional campgrounds and RV parks. This is due to an in- to the total number of campers. That is about eight million new campers, with new campingcrease in awareness for Americas beautiful parks and an overall desire to see and experience equipment and a desire to use it immediately.more during ones vacations As I type this in early October 2020 park owners are still reporting near sold-out conditionsRV and campervan rentals become the new American side hustle! Due to an increase in on weekends and holidays. At the same time, their mid-week occupancy is also up significantly.RV sales and ownership, coupled with financial constraints and economic conditions, Ameri- The guests in their parks are new campers and folks who are no longer chained to an office orcans will look to rent their vehicles as a steady source of secondary income. school schedule. While some of those folks will return to their previous ways, many have nowBaby Boomers will spend more of their travel wallet on Class B and campervan trips over discovered how amazing RVing and camping is.international hotel/air travel Campervan listings on Outdoorsy increased by 227% in the past New campers damaged public land in 2020Must do better in 2021year and Class B listings on Outdoorsy increased by 230% in the past year.These new campers most prominently impacted public campgrounds and dispersed campingareas. The impact on these public facilities was so significant, and in most cases damaging toMark Koep resources, that already we are seeing fee implementations and complete closures of dispersedMark Koep and his family are full time RVers and have spent the last 11 camping options. As the financial impact of state shutdowns hits the public agency budgets, Iyears living the lifestyle. He has personally visited over 5,000 RV parks and would expect to see a more pronounced impact on accessibility and services at state/ regionallycampgrounds and runs an organization that engages with over 3,500 active operated public camping locations. The combined impact will be a reduction in available publicand interested park owners and operators. Marks mission is to Make Camp- site inventory, meaning fewer places to camp.ing Amazing by getting the right camper in the proper campground during On the private side of the business, there are a massive number of new campgrounds beingthe correct time and in the perfect equipment. Industry Predictionscontinued on page 30WOODALLSCM.com January 2021-21'