The report was done through independent research that included surveying consumers about their plans and preferences for business and leisure travel in 2021.
“The report offers insight on what travelers are looking for and how property managers and owners can adapt,” notes the report.
The report highlights a 70% increase in park reservations in 2021, an uptick compared to a 13% increase in 2020.
With more workers doing their jobs remotely, more are looking for destinations that offer access to Wi-Fi and other technology so they can work and vacation at the same time.
The survey notes that given the opportunity to work remotely travelers would prefer a hotel (42.3%), AirBnB/VRBO (35.7%), extended stay hotel (13.7%) or campground/RV park (8.3%).
“According to research conducted by RMS, the majority (35.4%) of responders listed travel within 300 miles as their first choice of leisure activity,” noted the report. “Self-catered vacations, where travelers maintain control of their environment and enforce social distancing, experienced the strongest growth in interest among accommodation types at 11%.”
Looking to the future the report points out that:
- 53.4% intend to travel within driving distance or fly domestically
- 14.9% plan to travel internationally
- 9.4% are interested in traveling to locations for a specific experience (ex: Zion National Park for hiking)
- Interested in traveling to specific destination (ex: Disneyland, beach vacation)
When searching for a camping or hotel accommodation the survey noted that consumers are influenced by online content (70.9%) and word of mouth (29.1%).
Online content includes:
- Design, imagery and experience on the website (14%)
- Reviews on social media platforms (15.7%)
- Presence on Facebook (3.1%)
- The imagery I see on Instagram (2.9%)
- Review Sites (Ex: Yelp, Google) (35.1%)
“Without a doubt, 2020 has directly and permanently impacted the outdoor hospitality industry, spurring innovation and pushing the industry as a whole into the future to meet and exceed customer expectations,” noted Victor Vesnaver, COO of RMS.
