b'INDUSTRY NEWSNew York Parks Experience Record Occupancy in 2021Privately owned and operated camp- ness, said Donald G. Bennett Jr., thecampers,includingGrantsVacationtheir business this year. grounds across New York state experi- longtime president and CEO of CONY.Place in Fair Haven. Patty Jarnot, owner of Dream Lake encedrecordoccupancynumbersSome of our members saw their busi- We were 100% full this year, whichCampground in Warsaw, said her busi-during the 2021 camping season, withness levels increase by as much as 45%was the same as last year, said park co- ness was up 15% to 20% this year. She business levels up 15% to 20% at manyoverlastyearsfigures,saidBennett,owner Carroll Grant. If I had double theattributed the uptick in business at her privately owned parks, according to a re- whose own park, Conesus Lake Camp- number of sites, I could probably rent96-site campground to multiple fac-lease from the Campground Owners ofground in the Finger Lakes region, expe- them.tors, including an increased number of New York (CONY), which hosts Camp- rienced a 16% increase in business overMany campground operators affili- campers and a high retention rate, with NewYork.com.2020 figures.ated with CampNewYork.com said theyincreasing numbers of campers return-We consider 2021 to be the busiest inSome campgrounds have been so fullhadsufficientcampsites,cabinsanding on multiple weekends throughout the history of New Yorks camping busi- they dont have room to take any moreother rental accommodations to increasethe camping season.WCMKOA, Jamestown Advanced ProductsDONATIONfrom page 4them up to date with state-of-the-art facil-ities and amenities, and after more than OLeary, who was born on a farm nearfour decades in the outdoor hospitality in-Partnering on EV Charging Program the town of Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ire- dustry, OLeary recently sold Rincon Coun-Atitsannualconvention,Kamp- and we could not be moreland,sailedfromIrelandin1956andtry RV Resorts.groundsofAmericaInc.(KOA)an- excited to offer EV charg- opened Rincon Country East RV Resort inThe next National School is scheduled nounced a program to implement LevelersasanamenitytoNovember 1979. for Feb. 20-24, 2022, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. 2 EV Chargers designed by Jamestowncampground owners andA year later, all 460 sites were rented.OLearys gift will begin funding scholar-AdvancedProductsatselectcamp- guestsalike,saidTobyIn 1983, he began a new venture whichships for the 2023 National School. For groundlocationsacrosstheUnitedORourke, president andbecame the 1,100-site Rincon Countrymore information about the event, or to States and Canada.CEO of KOA. Its an im- West RV Resort on Tucsons southwestapplyforascholarship,visit CampgroundownerswithinKOAsportant step in promotingside. www.arvc.org/National-Schoolof-RV-network of 520 campgrounds are nowsustainability in the out- Since then, the OLeary family has con- Parks-and-Campground-Management. eligible to purchase KOA-branded elec- door industry and mak- tinuously modernized both resorts to keepWCMtric vehicle (EV) chargers for their prop- ingiteasyforelectric erties, with plans to roll them out atvehicleownerstoenjoyCONYfrom page 3 to nine, with one at-large director. campgrounds in early 2022, according totheirfavoriteactivitiesCOVID-19 mandates.CONYalsopresentedmarketing a release. The Level 2 EV Charging sta- suchascamping,road- Other seminar topics included dy- awards to parks in the following cate-tions will be produced in partnershiptripping and RVing.namic pricing and site locking fees bygories: with Jamestown, supporting KOAs goalEach EV charging sta- Paul Bandstra of Campspot and trendsBestsmall,printedpiece: of promoting sustainable transportationtion will allow for addedin camping and the guest experience byLedgeview RV Park in Lake George and infrastructure at KOA campgrounds.50-, 30-, or 20-amp receptacles to makeNicholePoisson,franchisedevelop-Best large, printed piece: Sleepy Each unit will be able to charge oneon-site installation a one-stop solutionmentmanagerforKampgroundsofHollow Lake RV Park and Campground electric vehicle, while also providing am- for all power needs. No prior knowledgeAmerica Inc. (KOA).in Akron perage for RVs through an available out- of EV charging is required for installa- RonRosenberg,ofQuickTalk,ledWebsiteaward:CherryGrove let. The Level 2 chargers utilize a 240-volttion, as each unit arrives pre-wired andsessions titled Get Customer FocusedCampground in Wolcott electricsupplyandcanreportedlyinstalls in a similar fashion to standardand Dominate Your MarketNow and Social media and videos: Moose charge the vehicle up to 10 times fasterRV power outlets campground ownersin the Future.Hillock Camping Resort in Fort Ann than a Level 1 (120-volt) charger.are familiar with, a release states. EachIntermsofboardaction,CONYsBestclothingsouveniritem: KOA is always looking for innovativeunit will also include universal accessboardofdirectorsvotedtochangeLedgeview RV Park in Lake George ways to make our properties more envi- charging plug and twenty-five feet ofCONYs regions to better reflect with theTheboardalsopresentedCONY ronmentallyfriendlyandreduceourcable.state of New Yorks tourism marketingPresident and CEO Donald G. Bennett carbon footprint. This amenity is a first- Registered campers will receive prior- regions. The change reduces the num- Jr. with the chairmans award recog-of-its-kind for a campground network,ity access to the charging stations. WCM ber of CONYs board positions from 12nizing his exemplary efforts on behalf of private park operators during the pandemic. DuringCONYsannualmember-ship meeting, Treasurer Ed Marden said that the association is in a very strongfinancialposition.Healso notedthatCONYhadraisedmore than $39,600 in its silent and live auc-tions. CONY is considering holding its fall 2022 conference in the Albany area, po-tentiallyfromaWednesdaythrough Sunday, although the dates and location have yet to be finalized.Jeff CriderWCMKOAfrom page 3The Willcox KOA was originally constructed as a KOA location in 1972, during the height of KOAs early expansion phase. It was taken out of the KOA system in 1996 and operated inde-pendently until the Crulls purchased it in 2017. Dennis and Penny Crull, along with busi-ness partners Joe Ben and Violet Stone, went right to work, investing more than $300,000 in electrical upgrades, a new heated swimming pool and spa, a new advanced Wi-Fi system andafull-servicerestaurantthatoperates seven days a week. In just four short years, the campground has seen camper nights increase by 25%, and revenues skyrocket by 73%.The park has received a perfect score on KOA Quality Assurance Reviews for several years running. WCM6 January 2022Woodalls Campground Magazine'