Summer camping at the 485 Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) locations around North America is off to a fast start, according to numbers released this week by KOA, the world’s largest system of open-to-the-public campgrounds.
KOA’s advanced registrations for the Memorial Day Weekend are up more than 4% over the same period in 2012. Advanced reservations for the entire summer peak season (Memorial Day to Labor Day) are even stronger, showing an increase of 8% for that period compared to 2012.
“The 12-day period surrounding the Fourth of July holiday is actually up more than 14% over that same period in 2012,” said KOA President Pat Hittmeier. “All indicators show a strong summer camping season on the way.”
According to a recent survey by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), an estimated 14 million Americans will enjoy the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend in an RV. The survey also said 71% of RV owners intend to use their recreational vehicles more this summer than they did last year, and an additional 21% intend to use their RVs at least as much as they did in 2012. Only 5% reported that they intend to decrease their camping.
Kampgrounds of America officially launched its summer camping season with its 10th Annual KOA Care Camps Big Weekend May 10-11. More than 12,000 KOA camping families stayed more than 25,000 camping nights during the event. Campers who stayed as paying guests on Friday, May 10 received a free night of camping on Saturday, May 11. The event also serves as a major fundraiser for KOA Care Camps for children with cancer, a network of 55 specialized summer camps for children with cancer located throughout North America.
