RV Industry Gets Unexpected Boost In Sales During Pandemic

Gregory and Nicole Smith, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, usually spend a week during the summer on vacation at a hotel in Ocean City.

Their two sons are Cub Scouts. The whole family enjoys tent camping.

The COVID-19 pandemic convinced the Smiths to try something new for their summer vacation this year and in the future.

The family purchased a park model trailer home at Ocean View Resort Campground and spent most of the past summer there.

“It’s a beautiful campground. This is basically like a miniature house. ... There is a bathroom, showers, bedrooms and kitchen,” said Gregory Smith, who added a big reason he bought the park model was for the mental health of his children, who spent the spring under stay-at-home orders. “The beaches are 10 minutes away.”

The recreational vehicle industry is one of the few businesses that has benefited since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. People still want to leave their homes and experience the outdoors or other places while maintaining social distance.

The RV Industry Association projects total shipments ranging between 414,200 and 434,000 units this year, with a most likely outcome of 424,400 units, for a 4.5 percent gain over the 406,070 units shipped last year.

Initial estimates for next year have a range of 494,400 to 519,900 units, with a most likely outcome of 507,200 units, a 19.5 percent increase over 2020, industry experts say.

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Ninety percent of the RV market is towable trailers that can be pulled by a car or a truck as opposed to a motorhome or a park model, said Monika Geraci, spokeswoman for the RV Industry Association.

“RVs are a gateway to the great outdoors. Boats, ATVs, bicycles, anything you can do outdoors,” said Geraci about the things people have been taking advantage of during the pandemic.

Check out the full article from The Press of Atlantic City here.

Photo credit: Edward Lea, The Press of Atlantic City