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The recreational vehicle industry has been experiencing nearly 45 years of long-term growth but saw a spike in traffic due to the pandemic, creating an opportunity for travel centers to serve them. As of 2021, the last year for which the RV Industry Association has numbers, there were 11.2 million RV-owning households in the U.S.
“RV customers are an untapped potential. Oftentimes, these customers are retirees with extra time and more disposable income. They purchase a large number of gallons and are an opportunity for additional general merchandise and food sales,” Darren Schulte, NATSO’s vice president, membership, said.
Monika Geraci, a spokesperson for the RV Industry Association, said that prior to COVID-19, the most RVs built in a year was 505,000 in 2017. “A good year was in the 400,000 range,” she said. “In 2021, the RV industry built 600,000, and in 2022, there were just shy of 500,000 RVs built.”
While sales of new equipment slowed in 2023, Garaci said the number of people who are using their RVs isn’t dropping.
Love’s launched RV hookups in 2022 and expects to have them at 51 locations in early 2024 with 1,130 hookups. The company has also added 11 Love’s RV Stops adjacent to travel stops for customers who want somewhere to stay for an extended amount of time. Geraci said the campgrounds are a welcome addition as there is a campground shortage in the country, particularly sites that have the hookups, access to a dump station, water and electric.
Caitlin Jensen, a spokesperson for Love’s, said that the chain has seen a steady increased in traffic since offering hookups. “As with most of our amenities, customers want ease of service. At our locations, guests can make reservations, pay and check in or out on their devices,” she said. “We also offer all the basic amenities RVers need while staying including Wi-Fi, 30- or 50Amp services, water hookups, dump stations and more.”
Geraci said RVers’ demographics are changing, with first-time buyers getting younger and more ethnically diverse. A first-time buyer’s median age in 2020 was 41. In 2021 it was 33 and in 2022 and it dropped to 32, according to RVIA. The median age for all RVers is 55, and 51% have children in the household.
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Want more Trends Shaping the Truck Stop and Travel Center Industry in 2024? Access the Eight Trends Shaping the Truck Stop and Travel Center Industry in 2024 Toolkit from the NATSO Foundation here. |
// This article was created for Stop Watch magazine, the magazine of the NATSO Foundation. The NATSO Foundation is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The NATSO Foundation provides programs and products to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the traveling public's needs through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit www.natsofoundation.org for more information. (Donate to the NATSO Foundation here.)
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