Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts and RVshare.com announced a strategic partnership designed to make renting RVs and planning camping trips faster and easier.
Through the partnership, campjellystone.com will become a “one-stop shop” for camping where consumers can book rental RVs and Jellystone Park sites. Rentals can be picked up by the consumer and driven to the park. Some owners will even set up the RV for the camper.
“With the dramatic growth of RV camping, this new relationship is a key step in our strategy to increase Jellystone Park awareness and use among RV enthusiasts,” said Jim Westover, Jellystone Park’s vice president of operations, in a press release. “It will allow us to capitalize on each other’s web traffic to educate consumers about the Jellystone Park brand and the benefits of peer-to-peer RV rentals, ultimately driving an increase in RV site occupancy across the franchise.”
The announcement comes as same-park sales for the first six months of 2017 are up 11.7% over last year. In addition to adding six parks in 2016, several franchisees have expanded their parks with new features and amenities.
RVshare.com connects RV owners with prospective renters. According to RVshare.com co-founder Joel Clark, the typical family RV goes unused 50 weeks a year, while at the same time there is a nationwide shortage of commercially available units for rent. “Partnering with Jellystone Park will increase web visits for both our brands and bring awareness to RV rental options,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to introduce more families to the fun of camping and recreation.”
Launched in 1969, the Jellystone Park system is the second largest chain of campgrounds in the United States, boasting 79 campgrounds with more than 17,000 campsites and vacation rentals in 33 states and four Canadian provinces. Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts are franchised through Leisure Systems Inc. (LSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Park River Corp., Cincinnati, Ohio.
Launched four years ago, RVshare has become the fastest growing RV rental marketplace in North America, with over 25,000 motorhome and trailer listings. RVshare provides free 24/7 roadside assistance, secure payment processing and the industry gold standard in rental insurance coverage for all domestic and international travelers.
