Fortune: Sun Outdoors Capitalizing On The Surge In Outdoor Travel

Sun Outdoors SVP of Operations, Nick DiBella sits down with Fortune to discuss their exponential growth during the pandemic and their belief that outdoor vacationing will continue to rise even after the virus settles down.

American travel habits have totally changed since the beginning of the COVID pandemic two years ago.

Containment efforts led to travel restrictions, crew shortages, and international borders shutting down. Domestic flights plummeted by 58% in April 2020, and many feared planning air travel as surges and variants led to increased social distancing. 

As frustrated Americans sought an escape from their homes, RVs and campsites seemed like safer bets. They let people explore the great outdoors without having to go through flight uncertainties, contaminated hotels, and encounters with potentially infected people. 

Sun Outdoors, the top RV campsite and outdoor hospitality company in the U.S., is standing out as the leader of this trend.

The company owns and operates more than 175 resorts and campgrounds across North America, providing a variety of experiences like camping, glamping, long and short-term stays.

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Sun Outdoors’ ability to pivot paid off and eventually led to over 140,000 new guests on their roster.

“It was clear that outdoor vacationing was becoming a safe haven for vacationers,” adds DiBella.

Though reservations had exponentially grown due to the pandemic, Nick believes that outdoor vacationing will continue to rise even after the virus settles down. “People love to be outdoors and the pandemic has helped people rediscover this. We definitely believe that our new customers are here to stay and that the RV industry will continue to boom once we reach herd immunity.” 

Read the full article from Fortune here.