Craig Kirby: Memorial Day Weekend Marks Start of RV Travel Season

As we head into Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer, millions of Americans will celebrate by packing their RV to head off with family and friends to their favorite outdoor destination. As an industry, we continue to be optimistic about the future, and while there are challenges that remain in the near term, there are many bright spots in the RV industry that we should be focusing on.

With inflation continuing to impact consumers, the affordability of RVing is more important than ever. According to a recent study, that was commissioned by Go RVing and the RV Industry Association, there is an average cost savings of up to 60% for a four-person travel party, while a two-person travel party saves up to an average of 46%, depending on factors such as the type of RV and type of vacation.

Consumers continue to place a priority on traveling, spending time with family and friends, and creating lifetime memories. This study confirms the fact that RV vacations are one of the most economical ways to travel, and they provide freedom from many of the traditional hassles of travel, while also providing greater control over your budget.

The Memorial Day weekend is just the beginning of what is shaping up to be a busy season for RV travel, as another piece of research we recently conducted on America’s leisure travelers found that 45 million Americans are planning to go RVing this summer—a slight uptick from last year.

Asked their reasons for considering RV travel, the respondents cited the love of road trips, comfort and convenience of RVing, positive past RVing experiences, connection with nature, and affordability.

The survey also showed that RVing is a year-round activity with 50% of leisure travelers expressing interest in taking an RV trip in the next year and 20% of leisure travelers saying they would like to buy an RV in the next 12 months.

Couple all this with the younger and more diverse buyers we saw enter the RV space in the last few years, as well as strong RV bookings at our campground partners, there are so many positive data points that illustrate the RV industry has a very bright future.

As I opened, this weekend signifies for many the start of summer, and we know that campgrounds across the country will be filled with families and friends gathered around their RVs. But this weekend also carries tremendous significance for our Nation. Memorial Day itself is about commemorating the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms.

As many of us get together this weekend with our families and friends, please take a moment to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our great country. 

Here’s to a great RV summer everyone – and thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
Craig Kirby
RV Industry Association President & CEO