KOA Convention Keynoter Touts Golden Rule

For author and customer service visionary Fred Reichheld, good business is as easy as following the Golden Rule.

“It’s as simple as treating customers so well that they come back for more, and bring their friends,” Reichheld told more than 500 Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) franchise owners and managers during the keynote session of KOA’s annual International Convention in Savannah, Ga., today (Nov. 8).

Reichheld, the author of the groundbreaking business book “The Ultimate Question – Driving Good Profits and True Growth,” studied several companies that had experienced exceptional growth, including Chick-Fil-A, Southwest Airlines and Enterprise Rent-a-Car. He told KOA franchisees what he found at these companies was a singular dedication to treating customers well, quickly measuring their success and “making good things happen with what they learned.”

Reichheld’s measurement tool, the Net Promoter Score, simple asks customers to rate their stay immediately after receiving their service, as well as ask them how likely they are to recommend the business to a friend. The low scores, or “detractors” are subtracted from the top scores, or “promoters” to arrive at a net promoter score. Reichheld’s new scoring system was adopted by the KOA system this summer as a means to held campground owners improve service to campers.

Reichheld said too many companies focus on “bad profits.”

“They make money by charging extra fees for what should be common service,” he said. “It’s basically businesses screwing people without going to jail. It destroys the humanity of their work force. It’s what has happened in the cable industry, the cell phone industry and in other businesses.”

Reichheld’s system provides KOA owners with immediate customer feedback on a daily basis, allowing them to quickly check progress and correct service problems as they occur.

“Converting a passive customer to a true promoter increases their value to your business by a factor of three,” Reichheld said. “A good name definitely can drive profitable growth.”

He said sharing immediate customer feedback with employees is a great way to insure everyone – the owner, customer and employee – can win. “It becomes not about the score, it becomes about the service consistently provided.

“If I leave you with just one thing today,” Reichheld said, “it’s that it can be as simple as following the Golden Rule. Just do unto others as you would have them do unto you – and then measure it.”

KOA Inc. Welcomes BIG4 Execs from Australia

New BIG4 Holiday Parks Chairman Gavin Farrell and CEO Ray Schleibs came to Billings just weeks after a large contingent of KOA officials, including KOA President Pat Hittmeier and CEO Jim Rogers, and KOA campground owners from throughout North America visited New Zealand and Australia. While in Christchurch, New Zealand, the KOA group attended the first-ever joint conference of BIG4 and Top 10 Holiday Parks. Top 10 Holiday Parks is the leading campground network in New Zealand, according to a news release.

“We’ve enjoyed a wonderful relationship for many years now with our sister camping companies on the other side of the world,” said KOA CEO Jim Rogers. “Those relationships have led to BIG4 purchasing KOA’s KampSight campground operating system, which they call PAM (Park Accommodation Management).”

Rogers said KOA is also benefiting from BIG4’s world-class expertise in campground accommodations management.

“BIG4 Holiday Parks owners are experts when it comes to the management of campground accommodations,” Rogers said. “Their willingness to share their knowledge with us as we rapidly expand our KOA Lodge accommodation offerings has been a huge benefit to the KOA system.”

An earlier idea exchange also led to BIG4 adopting KOA’s premiere camping event, Come Kamp & Care With Us Weekend, which is held the second weekend each May. At BIG4, the event is called Come Camp With BIG4 and is scheduled for this Friday (Nov. 5) at BIG4 Holiday Parks throughout Australia.

Farrell, BIG4’s new chairman, will also attend next week’s Kampgrounds of America Annual International Convention in Savannah, Ga. Farrell also owns a BIG4 Holiday Park, BIG4 Beachlands Holiday Park, near Perth, Australia.

BIG4 Holiday Parks is the premiere franchise group comprised of more than 180 holiday parks across Australia. The group provides a range of high-quality accommodation options from powered ensuite sites for caravan and motor homes to luxury cabins. BIG4 Holiday Parks’ BIG4 Club has over 170,000 active members. For more information, go to www.big4.com/au.

Geo-coding Featured on KOA’s New Website

Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA), the world’s largest system of open-to-the-public campgrounds, today (Nov. 2) launched its all-new website at www.koa.com.

One of the revamped website’s new features is geo-coding, which allow the website to know where an online user is located, and display campgrounds and special offers in that area, according to a news release.

“The old version of KOA.com was already the most visited camping website in the world, with more than 1.1 million visitors each month,” said Lorne Armer, vice president of marketing for KOA. “But it was time for an upgrade, and the new KOA.com offers our guests an enhanced online experience as they plan their camping trips, discover what there is to do near our campgrounds and make their reservations.”

The new site also features Google Mapping, a familiar online technology that allows users to quickly navigate state and provincial maps, zeroing in on just the right locations.

“The new KOA.com, which was produced by our partners at Genex in Los Angeles, will allow campers to spend time discovering some of the wonderful locations we have at KOA, so they do all of their trip research efficiently in one easy-to-navigate location,” said Armer. “They will have real-time access to more than 60,000 of North America’s best recreational vehicle sites, tent sites and accommodations such as our new Kamping Lodges.”

“We hope campers will come back to the new KOA.com again and again, because we’re going to be continually adding new features.”

To “test drive” KOA’s new, improved site, go to www.koa.com.

Annual KOA Convention Slated for Savannah

Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) owners from throughout North America will be gathering in Savannah, Ga., Nov. 7-10 for KOA’s Annual International Convention — an event that will feature presentations from nationally known customer service experts — and, as usual, plenty of fun.

“Getting together each year to learn and exchange great ideas is a big reason to be a KOA franchisee,” KOA CEO Jim Rogers stated in a news release. “No matter what you may be facing as an owner, it’s almost certain that you’ll be able to find another KOA owner who has experienced — and solved — the same issue.”

The 2010 KOA Convention is being held at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa.

One of this year’s featured speakers, Fred Reichheld, founder of Bain’s Loyalty Practice and author of “The Ultimate Question — Driving Good Profits and True Growth,” pioneered the business concept of “Net Promotor Scores” (NPS) wherein customers are asked their intent to return to a business, or refer that business to other customers.

This summer, for the first time, KOA owners have been supplied with Net Promoter Scores from their campers based on immediate results from “rate your stay” surveys. The scores and the surveys help owners identify and deal with service issues as they happen.

Also set to speak are customer service expert Ruby Newell-Legner and Carrie Stolar, a noted authority on combating childhood obesity and “nature deficit disorder.”

In a new convention event intended to give back to the host community, KOA owners will grab their shovels and boots for two “green” community projects — the first being to help develop wetlands trails along the Georgia coast, the second to deposit oyster shells in oyster beds to improve habitat.

“We want to demonstrate in a very real way KOA’s commitment not just to sustainable camping practices, but we want to give back to the communities we visit,” said KOA President Pat Hittmeier.

Also on the convention agenda is KOA’s popular KOA Workamper Job Fair, where KOA work campers from throughout North America will be able to meet one-on-one with prospective KOA owner/employers.

On Nov. 8-9, KOA owners and staff will attend several learning sessions covering topics such as lodging best practices, social marketing for their campground, implementing sustainable “green” practices on campgrounds and e-mail marketing, to name just a few.

Nov. 10 — the last day — features the KOA Expo at which hundreds of campground suppliers and vendors work with KOA owners to gear up for the 2011 camping season with exhibits of everything from KOA Lodges to store supplies. That evening will end with the annual KOA Care Camps Auction.

Each year, KOA owners support KOA Care Camps for children with cancer through a variety of fundraising events including the annual Convention Auction. Funds raised through the auction go directly to send children with cancer to one of 44 specialized summer camps throughout North America.

“This event is always a highlight of every year,” said Rogers. “It’s a great way to wrap up the summer camping season and get ready for both snowbird camping and the 2011 summer season.”

2010 KOA Convention Workshop Sessions

Monday, Nov. 8

• Lodging Best Practices: Company-owned properties share their tried-and-true lodging best practices, including cleaning, staffing and lodging guest satisfaction in full-service lodges.
• High Tech — High Touch Service — Managing Your Google Online Listing: Take advantage of Google’s tools for maximum online exposure. Use survey information in our High Tech world to deliver High Touch information that results in more reservations.
• Putting Your koa.com Kampground Pages to Work for Your Business: As an effective marketing medium with the widest audience reach, koa.com can help you promote incremental new business. Learn the top three promotional tips.
• KOA Business Development Consulting – Making a Difference Out in the Real World: The BDCs, experts in all aspects of campground management, including KampSight training, budgeting, merchandising and online marketing, offer free consulting services.
• Done Right, E-mail is a Cost-Effective Marketing Investment: KOA’s e-mail marketing program increases deliverability, enhances open rates, catches readers’ eyes, and inspires campers to make reservations. See what worked and what’s new for 2011.

Tuesday, Nov. 9

• Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Practices for Your KOA: Experts in utilizing resources intelligently and responsibly help parks reduce their bottom lines and become more sustainable operations. Topics include water, solar and wind energies, and creating natural habitat ecosystems.
• Dealing With Upset Kampers: Learn how to work with challenging customers, avoid what makes customers upset, and identify what angry customers are looking for. There are visual cues and specific words that work to promote positive customer relations.
• It Takes More Than Ice Cream to be Social With Your Kampers: Create one’s own social media strategy and implementation plan to achieve business goals and engage kampers online. Measure success and build an online community.
• Healthier Kids — Healthier Community — Healthier World — Getting Kids Outdoors to Recreate: Learn how to help children become excited about the natural world around them by educating, inspiring, and motivating children to make healthy choices in nutrition and activities.
• The KOA Green Kamping Program — The Survey, The Progress, The Future: KOA’s Green Team presents the 2010 KOA Green Kamping survey results and the progress and goals of this first-year program. Look ahead to the 2011 program goals and participate in breakout groups.
• KUTE KampSight User Technology Exchange: This interactive, two-hour session is dedicated to all things KampSight and technology. See new KampSight enhancements, ask questions of the KampSight experts and exchange ideas.

Large KOA Delegation Heading ‘Down Under’

A group of 27 Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) executives and campground owners is on its way to Christchurch, New Zealand, to join more than 350 owners and operators of campgrounds in New Zealand and Australia at a joint conference of BIG4 Holiday Parks and Top 10 Holiday Parks, according to a news release.

“We’ve had a longstanding relationship with our counterparts on the other side of the world, and we felt it was time to bring some of our top KOA owners over to exchange ideas and expand our camping horizons,” said Jim Rogers, KOA chairman and CEO and the group leader, with KOA President Pat Hittmeier, of the KOA contingent. The group includes KOA owners from both the United States and Canada.

The relationship goes far beyond an idea exchange. Earlier this year, BIG4 Holiday Parks of Australia adopted KOA’s KampSight campground operating system as its software for centralized online reservations, renaming their version of the industry-leading system BIG4 PAM (Park Accommodation Management).

“While we certainly had something to offer BIG4 in the way of technical expertise, we look forward to learning from their vast experience with accommodations camping,” Rogers said. “They have been managing accommodations such as lodges on their parks for a very long time, and they do it very, very well.”

The Christchurch conference also celebrates the success of both BIG4 and Top 10, which have both experienced growth in recent months. BIG4 Holiday Parks has increased its revenue by 5.5% to more than $270.5 million.

To reflect on the combination of shared experience the three groups will bring to the conference, and the support that comes from the relationship they have, the conference will be run under the banner of ‘Together we achieve more.”

With keynote presentations being made by Hittmeier; Peter Blackwell, CEO of AAA Tourism New Zealand; and Stuart Lamont, business development manager of the Caravan, RV & Accommodation Industry of Australia (CRVA) amongst others, attendees will be treated to information from some of the industry’s most knowledgeable sources across Australia, New Zealand and America.

BIG4 Holiday Parks Acting CEO James Shearer, said he looks forward to marking the Group’s success alongside TOP 10 Holiday Parks and Kampgrounds of America and is excited to see what each group can contribute.

“A joint conference is a new concept to BIG4 Holiday Parks and one we’re really looking forward to. Following in the pioneering spirit of the original BIG4 Parks who decided to band together because ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parks’, we will use our combined knowledge and experiences to support the industry even more on both sides of the world,” said James.

Those attending from KOA include:

• Jim and Sandy Rogers, KOA Inc.
• Pat Hittmeier, KOA Inc.
• Diane and Scott King, Springfield, Mo., KOA
• Sam Shevat and Renee Scialdo-Shevat, Herkimer Diamond, N.Y. KOA
• Mike Bell, San Diego Metro KOA
• Guenter and Theresa Kippschull, Fort Collins, Colo., KOAs
• Matt, Jeffrey and Catherine Stovold, Toronto North, Ontario KOA
• Amy and Tony Raposo, Barrie, Ontario, KOA
• Joe and Rhonda Landis, Dayton, Ohio, KOA
• David and Susan Barton, 1000 Islands Ivy Lea, Ontario, KOA
• Kristie and Michael Kuper, Thunder Bay, Ontario, KOA
• Barbara and Jerry Dale, Manchester, Tenn., KOA
• Hope Perkins and Nick Harrison, Elhart/Middlebury, Ind., KOA

KOA has 475 locations in the United States and Canada.

BIG4 Holiday Parks is a franchise group comprising more than 180 holiday parks across Australia. The group provides a range of high-quality accommodation options from powered ensuite sites for caravan and motor homes to luxury cabins. BIG4 Holiday Parks’ BIG4 Club has over 170,000 active members.

Park Models to Rebound ‘Slow and Gradual’

The recreational park trailer segment of the RV industry took its hits just like traditional RV builders during the Great Recession. And its recovery may take a bit longer than the mainstream towable market.

That’s according to William Garpow, executive director of the Recreational Park Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA), who says park models’ customer base is the cause.

”The reason is, our particular consumer is 55 to 70 years of age,” Garpow told RVBUSINESS.com. ”They are facing retirement and their 401(k) took a 35% dip and their house dropped 30% in value. They haven’t got the time to make back the dollars they had before they retire.

”As a consequence, they still may want to get into a park trailer, but they have to do everything they can to build their nest egg while they are still working.”

Garpow reported that shipments of park trailers reached a high of about 12,000 units in 2006 before falling to about 6,0000 units last year. ”Still, that wasn’t as bad as other segments of the industry and now 20% of what we lost has come back,” he said. ”But it’s slow and gradual.”

One thing going for park trailer dealers during the economic turbulence, Garpow said, was that most weren’t under pressure from lenders to bring down large inventories. ”Park trailers traditionally are not inventoried,” he said. ”The products that we are shipping are custom built, so we weren’t affected by that.”

He said RPTIA, with headquarters in the Atlanta suburb of Newnan, Ga., ”hasn’t lost any significant number of manufacturers,” during the downturn and that business right now ”is steady and it seems to be fairly decent.”

A factor working in favor of the park trailer segment’s recovery is an emphasis on adding park models as rental units at rates several times higher than those charged for regular campground sites by Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA), Jellystone franchiser Leisure Systems Inc. and other parks.

”We identified this has a very strong potential market about 15 years ago,” Garpow said. ”The rental part has really come alive in the last three or four years.”

For campgrounds in designated rural areas that want to expand their park model inventory, Garpow said the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a viable source of guaranteed financing.

KOA’s Rogers Takes Outdoor Message to D.C.

Earlier this summer, Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) CEO Jim Rogers visited with leaders in Washington, D.C., who share his interest in improving America’s outdoor recreation.

Roger’s message: KOA’s nearly half-century of camping, guest service and outdoor recreation experience is a valuable resource for our country’s public agencies and their guests. Rogers believes that a collaborative effort between public agencies and the private sector is a necessary step toward achieving national outdoor recreation and healthy lifestyle goals, according to a KOA news release.

Rogers’ meetings in the nation’s capital were held to increase dialog about potential ways to enhance the outdoor recreation experience across America and are an example of KOA’s goals to provide families with fun, healthy and memorable outdoor recreation experiences.

“KOA is looking for public recreation and park leaders who want to share campground management expertise to add revenue-generating features and better services for campers,” said Rogers. “KOA has been sharing its campground management learnings and innovations for nearly 50 years. And, considering the significant future challenges for public campground funding, it seems appropriate for us to reach out to our public sector partners to discuss ways we can work together.”

“At KOA, we look at trends, such as the leisure activities of the Baby Boomer generation and we are investigating ways to engage America’s fast-growing, ethnic populations in outdoor activities. We’re optimistic that 44% of campers today are planning to get outdoors and go camping more in the near future. Both public and private outdoor recreation proponents can plan wisely, to give outdoor enthusiasts what they’re looking for and motivate others to get outside,” said Rogers.

Rogers shared several of KOA’s key strategies for engaging people in outdoor activities, including: connecting with youth; keeping programs simple, low-cost and fun; creating experiences that people remember and want to repeat; and using innovative technologies to help connect people with the outdoors.

Rogers met with key staffer James Hague, of Sen. Mark Udall’s, D-Colo., office. Udall is co-chairman of the bipartisan Senate Outdoor Recreation Caucus, which promotes healthy, active lifestyles and fosters an appreciation of America’s outdoors, through many outdoor activities, including camping.

The message for U.S. states and public agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is that KOA continues to demonstrate successful strategies for engaging families in outdoor recreation and that KOA’s private sector experience can be a valuable resource for public agencies with parallel goals.

Rogers also met with former Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, a long-time champion of outdoor recreation, to discuss the importance of making recreation on public lands a national priority, again using the private sector model as a key resource for enhancing public programs by incorporating ways to provide better, guest-oriented service, among other methods.

Assisting Jim was Bruce Ward, who serves as a consultant to KOA. He is the former president of the American Hiking Society, founder and former executive director of the Continental Divide Trail Alliance and founder and president of Choose Outdoors, a coalition of outdoor recreation interests.

“Now, more than ever, it is critical we join forces to develop a 21st century vision for outdoor recreation in America,” said Ward. “The stakes are high: the literal and figurative health of our country is at great risk. We must step forward and work together toward substantive and innovative solutions to preserve and expand our recreation legacy.”

Rogers and Chris Fairlee, KOA assistant vice president of system development, will represent KOA at next week’s meeting of the National Association of State Park Directors in Santa Fe, N.M., where KOA is a sponsor. Rogers will speak about ways state parks can achieve sustainability through utilizing lessons learned by KOA in the camping business. KOA will share a booth at the meeting with the Boy Scouts of America, where Rogers is president of the Western Region and recent recipient of the group’s Silver Antelope Award.

KOA’s ’10 Convention Nov. 7-10 in Savannah

Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) owners from throughout North America will be gathering in Savannah, Ga., Nov. 7-10 for KOA’s Annual International Convention – an event that will feature presentations from nationally known customer service experts, as well as plenty of fun.

“Getting together each year to learn and exchange great ideas is a big reason to be a KOA franchisee,” KOA CEO Jim Rogers stated in a news release. “No matter what you may be facing as an owner, it’s almost certain that you’ll be able to find another KOA owner who has experienced – and solved – the same issue.”

The 2010 KOA Convention is being held at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa.

One of this year’s featured speakers is Fred Reichheld, founder of Bain’s Loyalty Practice and author of “The Ultimate Question – Driving Good Profits and True Growth.” Reichheld pioneered the business concept of Net Promotor Scores (NPS) whereby customers are asked their intent to return to a business, or refer that business to other customers.

This summer, for the first time, KOA owners have been supplied with Net Promoter Scores from their campers based on immediate results from “rate your stay” surveys. The scores and the surveys help owners identify and deal with service issues as they happen.

Also set to speak are customer service expert Ruby Newell-Legner and Carrie Stolar, a noted authority on combating childhood obesity and “nature deficit disorder.”

In a new convention event intended to give back to the host community, KOA owners will grab their shovels and boots for two “green” community projects. The first will be a project to develop wetlands trails along the Georgia coast, and the second will be a project to deposit oyster shells in oyster shell beds to improve the habitat.

“We want to demonstrate in a very real way KOA’s commitment not just to sustainable camping practices, but we want to give back to the communities we visit,” said KOA President Pat Hittmeier.

Also on the convention agenda is KOA’s popular KOA Workamper Job Fair, where KOA workampers from throughout North America will be able to meet one-on-one with prospective KOA owner/employers. One lucky participant in the job fair will win a free Apple Ipad.

On Nov. 8-9, KOA owners and staff will attend several learning sessions covering topics such as lodging best practices, social marketing for their campground, implementing sustainable “green” practices on campgrounds and e-mail marketing, to name just a few.

On Nov. 10 – the last day of the KOA convention – will feature the KOA Expo, where hundreds of campground suppliers and vendors will work with KOA owners to gear up for the 2011 camping season through the purchase of everything from a KOA Lodge to store supplies. That evening will end with the annual KOA Care Camps Auction. Each year, KOA owners support KOA Care Camps for children with cancer through a variety of fundraising events including the annual Convention Auction. Funds raised through the auction go directly to send children with cancer to one of 44 specialized summer camps throughout North America.

“This event is always a highlight of every year,” said Rogers. “It’s a great way to wrap up the summer camping season and get ready for both snowbird camping and the 2011 summer season.”

ARVC: U.S. Campground Business Stable

Year-to-date occupancies and revenues at campgrounds, RV parks and resorts through Labor Day weekend were generally consistent with last year’s figures, according to a news release from the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC).

“Private park operators are generally pleased with their performance this year,” said Linda Profaizer, ARVC president and CEO.

She added that parks that have invested in rental accommodations, such as park model cabins and cottages, have done particularly well.

The biggest exception, however, were parks along the Gulf Coast, many of which lost considerable summer business as a result of the BP oil spill and related media coverage.

Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA), the nation’s largest campground chain with roughly 475 parks, said its year-to-date occupancies through Labor Day weekend were down 0.7%, while revenues rose 2.7%, according to Mike Gast, KOA’s vice president of communications.

The slight occupancy decline was largely due to weaker business levels last winter, while summer occupancies actually outpaced last summer’s figures by 2.5%, Gast said. He added that revenues for the company’s park model cabins and cottages, which KOA markets as “Kamping Lodges,” were up 27% over last year’s figures, which reflects both rising consumer demand for rental accommodations in campgrounds as well as a larger rental inventory.

Indeed, KOA and other campground chains have increasingly invested in park model cabins and other rental accommodations in recent years.

Milford, Ohio-based Leisure Systems Inc. (LSI), which franchises Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts, saw its year-to-date occupancies through August increase by 4%, while revenues grew by 3%, said company Vice President Dean Crawford. Demand for cabins and park models, however, grew by 13%, also reflecting increased demand and an increased inventory of units, he said.

Meanwhile, Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS), a Chicago-based Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) whose holdings include RV parks and resorts, said occupancies and revenues for its core RV properties were up 2.3% and 3.1%, respectively, through July, according to Ellen Kelleher, ELS’s executive vice president of property management.

Kelleher added that while occupancies for transient or traveling RVers fell by 3.3% during the period, revenues were up 3.3%. ELS also reported gains in seasonal and annual customers, up 15.3% and 2.1%, respectively, while revenues increased by 3.9% and 4.9%. The annual figures include occupancies and revenues from consumers who own park models at ELS parks, Kelleher said.

ELS also reported an 8.5% decline in park model rental occupancies through July, but this was because the company wound up selling many of its units to consumers who wanted to stay for extended periods of time at ELS resorts.

Across the country, several park operators and industry officials reported an exceptional summer camping season.

“We are showing an increase of 6% in business for 2010. This is our actual increase in site nights after subtracting for our annual rate increases,” said David L. Berg, who owns Red Apple Campground in Kennebunkport, Maine, in addition to serving as ARVC chairman.

Berg, whose park is affiliated with the Best Parks in America network, attributed much of the increase at his park to an unusually hot and dry summer in Maine. Berg also said many campers are taking more frequent trips, but for shorter periods of time. “I find folks making reservations at the last minute, or trying to get in when we often are sold out. Also they are not staying for week-long stays, but rather doing three- and four-day mini vacations and are getting away more often.”

Berg also said he has seen a large influx of tent campers this year, which he attributes to the economy. “I feel this is a win-win situation for all,” Berg said. “Customers get a reasonable priced vacation and we as an industry get new customers, who if they get the experience they are looking for, they will upgrade in time to a popup or RV of some sort down the road. This is an example of finding the silver lining in the tough times we are all in economically.”

But tent camping is also influenced by weather patterns.

KOA, for example, saw tent camping decline by 1.3% at its parks nationwide, Gast said. “Weather nationwide is probably the primary driver of that,” he said. “Inventory (tent sites) has been relatively stable for years.”

Other parks also saw significant business gains this year, including Misty River Cabins & RV Resort LLC, a Best Parks in America affiliate in Walland, Tenn., which saw its year-to-date business grow by 17%, according to park owner Jimmy Felton.

Castaways RV Resort and Campground in Berlin, Md. also saw double-digit growth during the summer season, with a 4% increase in business year-to-date, according to Kathleen Morris, the park’s general manager. Morris attributed the increased business in part to the warm dry summer on the East Coast.

Meanwhile, Crossroads RV Park in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, saw a 19% increase in year-to-date occupancies, said park owner Jeff Krug, who also serves as president of the Iowa Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds. Krug attributed the increase in part to the relative newness of his three-year-old overnight park, which more and more campers are discovering.

In California, Ron and Sheryl Culp of Green Acres RV Park in Redding said their year-to-date business was down 2.7% from last year, although their summer business was up 4.3% from a year ago.

KOA’s Free Night Promo Nets $378K for Kids

A record number of children with cancer from all over North America will be enjoying summer camp next year thanks to the efforts of Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) owners and their campers.

Billings, Mont.-based KOA raised a record $378,232 from all sources during the May 14-15 Come Kamp & Care With Us Weekend event, according to a news release. During the sixth annual event, a record 57,000 campers received a free night of camping on Saturday just for staying as a paid guest on Friday, May 14.

“Our KOA owners across North America do a wonderful job creating fundraising activities for their campers and really pull out all of the stops to help raise funds for KOA Care Camps for children with cancer,” said KOA CEO Jim Rogers. KOA Care Camps is a network of 44 specialized summer camps located throughout North America that give children with cancer and their siblings a summer camping experience, while allowing them to continue their treatments and recovery. The camps are staffed with medical personnel and specially trained counselors. All donated funds go directly to operate the summer KOA Care Camps.

Next year’s KOA Come Kamp & Care With Us Weekend has already been scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 13-14.

The event was created in 2004. That first year, about $30,000 was raised through donations to benefit KOA Care Camps.

“You can see how the May event and the ongoing charity efforts have grown over the years,” Rogers said. “Come Kamp & Care With Us Weekend has become a recognized ‘start of the summer camping season’ event for tens of thousands of camping families throughout North America.”

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