There are more than 16,000 commercial and public campgrounds nationwide; with 8,500 privately owned RV parks and campgrounds located near national parks and forests, popular tourist attractions, along interstates, and in cities and small towns.
- Commercial or privately-owned park amenities range from basic overnight accommodations to luxury resorts. Many are vacation destinations in their own right, offering pools, playgrounds, organized activities, golf, spas, convenience stores, gourmet food services, and much more.
- The average commercial campground has 133 sites, many with full hookups at all sites. To accommodate the changing RVer and camper, internet and wi-fi services are available at many RV parks and campgrounds.
- With the growing popularity of camping, reservations are recommended when vacationing on heavily traveled weekends or to popular tourist destinations. Most RV parks and campgrounds offer online or toll-free reservations.
- The increasing public interest in camping destinations has spurred several major publishers including National Geographic, MapQuest, and outdoor retail giant Cabellas to produce national road atlases that list and plot all ARVC member campgrounds nationwide.
- Camping is the number one outdoor vacation activity in America. One third of U.S. adults say they have gone on a camping vacation in the past five years, according The Adventure Travel Report published by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).
The same research shows that camping vacationers tend to be married with children at home. The average age of travelers who go camping is 37 and their median household income is $43,000. People who go camping also tend to enjoy hiking, biking, and canoeing. 59% of campers said they traveled with their spouses on their most recent outdoor vacation and nearly half traveled with their children. Recent research conducted by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell (YPBR) for the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, shows that 62% of RV owners and 66% of active campers have annual household incomes of $50,000 or more, which is much higher than the general US population (41% have incomes of $50,000 or more).
- Camping is the top outdoor recreation activity among all Americans age 6 and above as tracked by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.
- Approximately one in five Americans has camped in a campground in the past year according to Outdoor Recreation in America Research conducted by RoperASW.
- The surge in RV ownership has helped broaden camping’s appeal. Today a record 7.2 million RVs are on the roads in the United States. Nationwide, there are as many as 30 million RV enthusiasts (10% of the US population), including renters, according to newly conducted research by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown, and Russell (YPBR) for the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC). The title of the research is “The American Camper: Profiles and Perspectives”.
- All camping enthusiasts, whether they are beginners or veterans, can visit www.GoCampingAmerica.com to help plan their next outdoor adventure. The site provides a free state-of-the-art trip planning service that helps locate an RV park or campground, make reservations, get directions and create a trip itinerary.
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