[RVers Online Note: While this aricle, copyrighted in 2004 by Tex-In Alliance Development Corporation (and reprinted here with their permission) is now somewhat "dated", many of the conclusions are as valid today as when first written -- and deserve the consideration of anyone interested in developing an RV park.]
The world of the RV traveler and the RV Park owner is taking on a totally new look for the future. Many new parks are springing up to facilitate the actual and projected explosion of travelers that choose to trip in a RV. Haggling with airline reservations, cancelled flights, flights that are jammed full and hotels that are not up to standard are leading many travelers to turn to RV’ing instead. Trying to handle a vacation with kids and the problems of current day air travel are more than most parents want to tackle. Coincident with this changing travel attitude is the advent of the baby boomers that look at convenience as a necessity rather than a luxury.
Before we begin to analyze why and how the industry is changing, we need to do a little introductory history and descriptive base setting.
In the 1940’s and 50’s, RV’s were relatively unknown. Some travelers pulled “travel trailers” and their vacations consisted of pulling the monster to their vacation site and parking it while they used their car to travel around. Along with this very small group of the population were those who liked to just rough it and tents were also somewhat in vogue. The tent community was however, prone to be from the lower income proponents, since the cost of this type of activity was minimal.
On the other hand the travel trailer was a larger investment and many who adopted this mode were discouraged by the problems of pulling a trailer and the problems of maneuvering.
Facilities to provide space for these two modes of travel were very basic campgrounds with little or no hook up capabilities. If you were going to rough it you didn’t expect electricity or running water or telephones hook ups. A water well, lanterns and maybe a phone at the campground was about all that you needed. Many campgrounds were little more than a muddy wooded area that had some sites carved out for their patrons. Nothing to do but sit in the tent and read or sleep.
If you were among the elite group that did pull in your own trailer, you probably had a small stove for heat, and maybe some bottled water and maybe a port-a pottie for comfort. As time progressed generators became an additional convenience that the more affluent traveler added to their trailers.
Moving into the 80’s and 90’s, we see the advent of more complex vehicles and demands for more conveniences. A new term “Motor Home” crept into our vocabulary. The motor home term describes a class of vehicles that has now been classed into three categories:
As the 90’s became reality, the motor home became a common sight on the highways. Whether it was a mini or a big “portable living room” as the CB advocates referred to the RV, the populous found that taking your own stuff with you was really neat. No more packing and unpacking. No more worrying about flight schedules. Families with kids found that this way to travel and vacation was stress free. They could get where they wanted and have the things there that they would need. Older couples found that RV’ing was a convenient way to travel and enjoy the country without the hassle of trying to do it on an airplane.
Whole industries sprang up to facilitate this need. RV Associations and RV parks began to be found all over the country. Planned activities set up for RV parks began to appear on the horizon.
But with these changes came demands for better facilities. RV’ers wanted electric hook ups for their vehicles. They wanted to be able to hook up their drains to take care of their waste. And of course television, phone and recently computer hook ups were additive attractions that the new RV park owner must consider when planning and constructing a Park.
The new RV Park is a facility that must have all of the amenities that today’s more sophisticated traveler has become accustom to when they travel. No longer is the park a campground for low income tenters. It is truly a home-away-from-home.
Many businesses and associations have entered the world of the RV Traveler. Polls addressing what the RV’er expects, what they want and who they are, are now common place. As part of the research for this article there were numerous articles that addressed these issues. A web search for information on RV’s and RV Parks resulted in over 1000 possibilities. As part of the presentation of facts for the conclusion drawn here, we will be referring to some of these articles and how we feel the facts contribute to the conclusions.
There are several reports addressing the age of the RV owner. Many of the facts all refer back to a study that was issued by a University of Michigan group that addressed many facets of the RV world as well. The average age of the RV owner is reported as 48 years old. A poll taken by RV Travel world shows that 35.01% of the respondents were 50-59 years old while an additional 38.21% were 60-69. This begins to support the observation that RV travelers are an age that enjoys and wants easy facilitation of comforts at their park. These people are looking for the comforts of home even on the road. A quote taken from a Senior World article states “Current, former and prospective owners agree the top advantage of owning an RV is that it provides a comfortable, convenient, independent and flexible way to travel. RV’s are also a good value allowing less expensive travel, and a good way to enjoy nature and outdoor recreation.”
Looking to the future, currently there are 6.9 million RV’s on the road. Ownership is increasing annually at the rate of about 100,000 per year.
Owners have a medium income of $56,000.
Sales projections indicate that while 1 in 10 households currently own RV’s, surveys show that 20% of the homes questioned indicated that they were planning on purchasing an RV in the coming year.
Several interesting polls support the concept that the RV traveler wants and expects the conveniences of home when they travel.
Again from the RV Travel magazine the question was “How much would you be willing to pay for high speed satellite Internet access in your RV?” 36.9% said less than $25.00 per month while 41.19% said they would pay $26.00 to $50.00 per month for the convenience.
A similar question “How often do you carry a computer with you on your RV travels? 61.87% said always while and additional
9.15 % said often. That suggests that 70% of RV’ers have their computers with them and need access to the Internet.
Some other interesting demographics include:
1. The actual and project explosion of the RV popularity will be fueled largely by aging baby boomers, 35 to 54 years of age.
2. Polls show that RV owners look at washers and dryers as necessities in their RV’s
3. Phones, cable TV and wireless computer hook ups will be major considerations in selecting RV parks for intermediate trips and vacations.
4. Although used RV’s may be purchased in the $20,000 and $30,000 range, new models with all of the conveniences that the baby boomers expect and demand range upwards of $70,000 to $150,000. Super homes-away-from-home built on bus chassis and decorated to the owner’s specifications can top the $1,000,000 mark.
CONCLUSIONS
1. The RV parks of today and the future will need to be a totally different place than the old campgrounds of the pasts.
2. The parks will have to have high current electric hook up capability with adequate drain facilities, telephone, television and computer hook ups if they are to attract the new generation of RV travelers.
3. The park will be a home-away-from-home where the traveler can feel comfortable and safe with the entire family.
4. Future park operators need to look at new attractions such as meeting halls, swimming pools, sports fields and programs, even movie theatres to attract the RV traveler.
5. The majority of travelers that will be utilizing these new generation RV Parks will be an affluent middle and upper aged traveler that want conveniences that they are used to.
6. The days of roughing it seems to be lost to history. The days of convenience and comfort are the passwords of today
7. Looking to the future the Park operator is going to have to be able to adapt to rapidly changing demands on their facilities. If, as some predict, there is a new generation of young family oriented RV’ers entering the market place. Facilities will have to address the needs of children and young adults. Swimming, fishing and other activities that will address the needs of young families must be considered in the planning.
8. Many park operators are looking at sponsoring meetings and activities that can be held at their facilities and easily convenient for the RV traveler. Stamp collection meetings, coin collecting, quilting bees, dog shows, cat shows all are some of the new innovative ideas being considered by park owners. The beauty of the RV Park for this kind of activities is that the traveler comes into the park and stays for activities within the park.
Parks that are established with the intent of facilitating the “new” breed of RV traveler will be assets to the community where they are located. Much like hotels that bring business into an area, the RV Park of tomorrow will bring money in and will provide a minimal of disruption to the community. They can also provide facilities to the local community such as meeting places etc.
In conclusion for a RV Park to succeed in the future, they are going to have to be an excellent addition to the community in which they are located. Concerns of the past such as local lawlessness and rowdiness will not be a factor if the Park is properly constructed and facilitated. The users of the Park will be respectful of the Park facilities and the local communities. They will be looking for Parks that provide a maximum of comfort and safety, with no hassle. After all going RV’ing resulted from avoiding the hassle of traveling.
Article prepared and written by
William L. Lee, PE
Okemos Michigan
Ed Note: The above article was reprinted with permission of Tex-In Alliance Development Corporation, a company engaged in the business of RV park construction, and is subject to their copyright. For further information on this group see their website.