RV Industry Works To Open Campgrounds

Earlier this month most RV manufacturing facilities started operating again and states across the country have begun to allow RV dealers to proceed with retail vehicle sales. However, in several states, RV parks and campgrounds have encountered more obstacles as they look to reopen—or stay open.

The RV industry knows that there will be significant changes to how people will travel in the near future and many will look to RVs as a way to control their environment while also experiencing the freedom to travel. This is why it is critical that RVers have a place to go and why the RV Industry Association has been working with partners across the industry in an attempt to remedy this situation. 

This has included grassroots efforts through the RV Action Center that allow RVers and members of the RV industry to send letters to policymakers asking that campgrounds be allowed to open. There are seven state-specific action alerts and a general nation-wide alert. To date, over 60,000 emails have been sent specifically addressing the opening of campgrounds.

CALIFORNIA
In California, campgrounds are scheduled to open during Stage 3 of the state’s Pandemic Roadmap, being lumped in with “high-risk” businesses such as gyms, hair and nail salons, and movie theaters. At a press briefing in early May, California officials stated that Stage 3 businesses were being considered for reopening in “months, not weeks” and would include hotels/lodging for leisure or tourism.

Currently, most of California is at either Stage 1 or Stage 2, with variation between counties, leaving privately owned RV parks and campgrounds caught in a patchwork of county policies. In an effort to ease this confusion, the RV Industry Association, the National RV Dealers Association, and the California RV Dealers Association, sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom last week urging that the state reconsider and allow RV parks and campgrounds to be moved into the Stage 2 group of lower risk businesses, which would allow campgrounds to begin to reopen.

It only makes sense that RV parks and campgrounds be included in the lower risk category of businesses, particularly because these campgrounds have implemented new policies and procedures to align with, and in many cases exceed, CDC guidelines. Many parks have already closed all common areas such as pools, game rooms and bath houses; redesigned their cleaning and hygiene processes; increased the space between RV sites; instituted mobile check-in; and established touchless delivery of grocery and mail from the office.

Despite these reasons and over 1,200 California residents sending over 10,000 letters through the RV Action Center, campgrounds have yet to be recategorized to Stage 2. The industry continues to work with policymakers and encourages California residents to make their voices heard by sending a letter asking that campgrounds are allowed to open.

INDIANA
In Indiana, Governor Eric Holcomb's executive order only allows campers who are already at a campground to stay and does not allow any other campers into a campground. Additionally, RV parks and campgrounds are scheduled to be allowed to reopen on May 24—the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

This arbitrary date puts many of the small Indiana businesses that own and operate RV parks and campgrounds at a significant disadvantage by not being able to open for the full Memorial Day Weekend, something that could be remedied by moving the open date by only a couple of days.

The RV Industry Association has been working with several stakeholders in Indiana, particularly the RV Indiana Council and members of the Indiana Legislature, to bring this situation to the attention of Governor Holcomb and ask that campgrounds be allowed  to reopen prior to the Memorial Day weekend.

For more information on campground openings across the country, please contact Director of State Affairs Mike Ochs at mochs@rvia.org.