b'INDUSTRY NEWS KOAfrom page 3to spring, 15 million households plan toknowledge that external factors are hav-camp during the season. Spring camp- ingpsychologicalimpactsoncon-ing plans for U.S. camping householdssumers, which, in turn, affect leisure include 31% who intend to camp fortravel, Scott said. The good news is spring break and 19% who would like tothat camping is an easy way to get away spend the Easter holiday camping.without a large commitment and our It can be easy to think of camping asdatapointstoitsresiliencyduring a summer activity, but, in reality, moredownturns. and more campers are eager to exploreAdditional findings in the February nomatterthetimeofyear,saidreport examine camping travel trends, Whitney Scott, senior vice president ofincluding U.S. and Canadian border strategy at KOA. Were seeing this in- travel. WhilesomeAmericansneed creaseddesirefornewadventuresmoreinformationbeforefinalizing bringing campers out year-round.theirplans,54%indicatetheymay Also examined in the report was howcross the border for travel this year. external impacts, including paid timeCanadians are more enthusiastic, with off (PTO), affect camping. Overall, 7-in- 77% saying the same. It is also notable 10 U.S.-based employed campers saythat popular TV appears to affect travel that issues with PTO are impacting theirdecisions. As many as 4-in-10 campers travel planning. Half (51%) say they areadmit that shows like Yellowstone saving PTO in case of an emergency, po- and White Lotus impact their travel tential layoffs, COVID or to remain inbehavior. good standing at their jobs. One-third ofTo view the full findings of the KOA campers shared that they plan to use allMonthlyResearchReportFebruary oraportionoftheirtaxrefundfor2023 Edition, past and future editions, camping,showingthestrengthofand review the research methodology, camping intent.visit the KOA Press Room at www.koa-Weneedtounderstandandac- pressroom.com. WCMCampspotfrom page 4combed through more than 70,000 data pointsCampspots 2023 Best Campgrounds in including bookings, reviews and category-spe- America are: cific factors to identify a shortlist of nominees.1Indian River RV Resort (Indian River, They then asked the camping community toMich.) weigh in, inviting the public to vote on their favorite2On the Saco Family Campground campgrounds in America and partnering with(Brownfield, Maine) camping experts to score and select the winners3The Nugget RV Resort (Saint Regis, Mont.) in the remaining categories based on uniqueness,4Otahki Lake Cabins & Campground listing completion and overall appeal.(Patterson, Mo.) The 2023 Campspot Awards are a cele- 5Stonebridge RV Resort (Maggie Valley, bration of everything that makes the campingN.C.) industry so awesome. They not only provide6Dark Sky RV Campground (Kanab, an important opportunity to recognize thoseUtah) campgrounds owners, operators and staff7Pecan Park (Jacksonville, Fla.) who strive to provide special camping experi- 8Kootenai River Campground (Troy, ences to their guests, but they also serve asMont.) inspiration for the many travelers looking to9Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins and book their spring and summer trips now, saidCampground (Folkston, Ga.) Erin Stender, CMO of Campspot. We pur- 10Jellystone Park: Memphis (Horn posefully created new categories this year thatLake, Miss.) make it easy to find the right spot for you,VisittheCampspotAwardspageat whether youre already a full-timer, or just dis- www.campspot.com/about/campspot-awards coveringthemanyoptionsavailabletoto view and explore all 65 winning camp-campers today.grounds.WCM CALENDAR OF EVENTSMARCH25-26: Texas Association of15-19: WACO Convention & Trade Show Campground Owners (TACO) Holiday Inn & Convention CenterSpring Conference Stevens Point, Wis. Lone Star Convention & ExpoContact: 715-344-0200Center Conroe, Texas 28-29: CalOHA SummitContact: 877-518-1989 @Grounds Event Center Roseville, Calif. MAY Contact: 530-885-16249-11: FRVCA OutdoorHospitality ConferenceAPRIL& Expo 1: MECOA Trade Show & AnnualHilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront MeetingResort Norway Savings Bank ArenaDaytona Beach, Fla.Auburn, MaineContact: 850-562-7151WCMContact: 207-782-5874 44 April 2023 Woodalls Campground Magazine'