Diversity Of RV Owners Increasing With New Buyers

As millions of Americans continue to actively seek the benefits of an outdoor lifestyle, the demographics of the typical RV owner are changing. While 85% of current RV owners identify themselves as white, according to the recent Go RVing RV Consumer Demographic Profile, that number drops to 76% when looking at RVers who bought their first RV in the past year.

The greatest increase in the diversity of RV owners is in those who identify themselves as Black. When looking at first-time owners who bought their RV in the past year, 13% identify as Black, an increase from 6% of owners who purchased their first RV 1-5 years ago and from only 2% who purchased their first RV 6 or more years ago. Similarly, Asian and Hispanic or Latino RV owners have increased to 5% and 6% respectively, for RVers who bought their first RV in the past year.

For decades, the RV industry, and specifically Go RVing, has been working to grow diversity in the RV market, and foster equitable, accessible, and inclusive RV experiences for everyone of all backgrounds.

Diversity came about organically for the Go RVing brand. Initially Go RVing started combing social media platforms looking for RVers who were sharing their passion and stories. The authenticity of their messages and the diversity of their voices was a natural development. By sharing their stories under the Go RVing banner, it allowed them to increase their communities and it allowed their voice to be amplified to new audiences who were intrigued to follow their adventures and often try it for themselves.

“There is so much more value in the personal sharing of ideas and experiences,” said Go RVing Director of Strategic Marketing Courtney Bias. “Go RVing’s strong influencer relationships have established meaningful and authentic connections with diverse audiences to ensure representation among RVers.”

Go RVing has been doing this for years in the Black community by working with real life RVers and influencers such as Soulful RV Family, Tyrhee Moore, The Traveling Child, Browns Dope Little Adventures, Brothers of Climbing, and Oneika the Traveller, among many others, and amassing video views in the millions. More recently, Go RVing has brought their experiential events to several Hispanic festivals, exposing thousands of people to the possibilities of RVing.

In 2021, Go RVing’s media buys include diverse outlets like Q. Digital, Essence, Black Folks Camp Too, and Parents Latina, as well as working with influencers like Yolanda Edwards of Black Girls Fish and Cory Lee of Curb Free with Cory Lee: A Wheelchair Travel Blog.

These ongoing efforts are a reflection of the RV industry’s firm belief that adventure and RVing is for everyone. While there is still much room for improvement, the data shows intentional efforts to increase and support diverse populations have been successful.

“Historically, Go RVing has targeted a diverse market, knowing the importance of inviting everyone to the outdoors. When searching for a new creative agency, one of the things that drew us to FCB was the fact that they are known globally for their creativity and commitment to diversity and inclusion,” said Go RVing Vice President of Brand Marketing Karen Redfern. “While there is still a lot of opportunity to increase the diversity of RV owners, I am proud of the work the Go RVing team, and the wider RV industry, has done to invite everyone to see themselves as a part of the RVing community. Change as a never-ending evolution of ideas and actions is a cornerstone of the Go RVing program and will remain as such. There is always room for continued growth. We are always listening – balancing the needs of our industry partners with our consumer mission to continued growth and sustainability of RVing.”