Newly-released data confirms what many grey nomads will have long suspected … the popularity of caravanning and camping is continuing to surge.
Numbers for the March quarter showed people embarked on some 4.5 million trips (up 24%) around the country, and 18 million nights (up 22%) caravanning and camping. The figures from the Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA) means the annual rolling total for trips now stands at 15.5 million, encompassing 62.3 million nights, and expenditure of $11.2 billion.
This far surpasses the 2019 pre-covid figures of 14 million trips and 59 million nights.
Caravan Industry Association of Australia CEO, Stuart Lamont, was delighted to see growth in the industry, especially in the face of uncertain economic times.
Many caravan parks and camping areas are busier than they have ever been. PIC: Cizza
“We’re continuing to see Australian’s love affair with their country grow, spending more and more time in our beautiful regional and rural towns,” he said. “That makes the growth even more encouraging … knowing that 89% of these trips are being spent in areas needing the support.”
The CIAA says there are 800,000 registered RVs in Australia, and the adventurous owners of these vehicles are providing a real boost to many regional small businesses.
“In a time when we haven’t seen international visitors return to our shores like we were told, it has been the caravan industry and its parks and holiday resorts across the country helping to provide economic through continued tourism dollars,” said Mr Lamont. “On average, travellers spend $867 per trip in a caravan park and creating over $11.2 billion of visitor expenditure annually.”
Looking ahead, the CIAA says there will continue to be economic challenges and a softening in consumer confidence but it believes the caravan and camping industry will remain the backbone of the domestic tourism industry and a major contributor to the country’s economy.
“It is clear to see that Australians are travellers, with continued high costs associated to overseas travelling and flailing international tourist figures we look continue to be the industry of choice for people wanting a getaway from their everyday,” said Mr Lamont.
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Just where do they get those figures. Me or any of our caravaning friends have never been asked. We have been caravaning since 2003, 5 yrs full time
The figures for Caravan Park stays come from the Bureau of statistics.
Each quarter an accommodation business has to submit figures to the bureau.
Obviously some who free camp or stays at non registered spots isn’t counted but it’s as accurate as they can get.
We owned a motel for 5 years, that’s how I know
Motels and Hotels report as part of ABS, however not caravan parks anymore – this was discontinued in 2009 by the government. The visitor economy data is Tourism Research Australia from the National Visitor Surey which collects commercial and non commercial caravan and camping accommodation data, whilst caravan park occupancy data is reported via both STR Global and Caravan Industry Association of Australia which both collect from PMS systems.
This data comes from Tourism Research Australia national visitor survey. They survey 120k people a year by phone and release quarterly
We free camp or very low-cost donation camp and have noticed a large increase in Grey Nomads in the free camps, with record sales in RVs it’s no wonder we are seeing more people travelling.
Yep , i know that type , you probably sit on 80 k’s an hour in the 100 k zoone to save a few bucks also
Lovely attitude.
Very funny. Car camping a couple of years ago. Good but small 24 hour stop just north of the city. Full of cheap campers and VT wagon when Kev n Kaz roll up in there cruiser and 35 footer and block out the sun: and about 12 car parking places. At least they didn’t pull out the awning lol.
‘Ken and Kaz’ in their Cruisers and 35 footer worked all their lives for that. So good luck to them. Unlike the car campers on their ‘Gap year’ travelling on the cheap never having worked a day in their lives or working for cash never having paid any tax. They should have pulled out their awnings. They worked for it, paid tax and were not part of the MeMe entitled generation. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it as they say, that’s what you’d be good at.
Well said.
Hahaha , i bet your glad you got that off your chest Nicole
It’s a speed limit not a target.
Brilliant observation.
That is correct .
It is the MAXIMUM allowed speed !!
Yep thats good to know Rod , unfortunately the roads aren’t just for the likes of ma & pa kettle who want to set up camp in town , some ppl actually use road as a means of employment and need to do so at that “speed limit”…… but I’m sure you would be courteous enough to pull over for them though
The reason we sit on 80 -90 km/h is so that you can pass without having to go to much over the speed limit. And yes, why shouldn’t we want to save a few dollars, we’ve worked in my case full time for 52 years and not always sitting on my tail driving a truck.
Then why do they speed up on overtaking lanes so trucks can’t get passed. One of the biggest peeves of the transport industry. And I also tow a camper trailer around as well as drive trucks interstate for a living.
Sit on a hundred at least. It’s 2023, modern vehicles can fly around you at 130 (or 145 like I do just to make it that much quicker and safer for me), were not all driving beat up kingswoods and Datsuns anymore…..
I drive a motorhome sit on 90/95 the motorhome runs best at that speed, a fiat ducats 4 ton motorhome. That the speed recommended for our motorhome.
no 90k and it,s for saftey try pulling up at 1oo then at 90 and see the difference
Bet we do…no hurry when you are retired and need to scream around at 100kms/hr like a lot of fools on the road, like weekend wankers!
It’s a bit disrespectful to fellow drivers on the road if you are in no hurry and a working driver is behind you and can’t get in contact with said slow driver due to them not having a UHF radio. Or worse still that they blatantly drive slow then rub everyone’s face in their arrogant driving behaviour by claiming on the UHF that “we are retired and don’t have to hurry for anyone” which happened on the Bruce hwy last week. And then wonder why other get intensely irate with them.
Still does not give you the right to have a freight train behind you
No reason why everyone is required to drive at the speed LIMIT just because you slept in and didn’t allow enough travel time Paul.
Paul. Please pass me when safe to do so.
And why not?
So with these figures of how much time and money is spent in caravan parks why is that association hell bent on stopping low cost or overnight camps in country towns throughout Australia instead of everybody else getting a little bit of the slice of cake
Agree and what happens when the CP is full are the overflow forgotten as the greedy owners fill their pockets! Not enough shire owned parks left nowadays!
Mark , I agree, The only cost to the council is waste removal ( we should take out our own ) and any maintenance issues with the facilities. Vandalism and lack of care is another issue. I suggested in another post how technology could help here.
The facilities could have a secure key code . Those wanting to use the site would be required to phone ( mobile ) the council beforehand who would provide the code , register their vehicle/s and how many were attending. This could probably be done automatically , just ask any millenial!
I haven’t free camped a lot – yet, and may be barking up the wrong tree.
Inside the facility / site , how about a donation box?
Having recently returned home to Perth from the North West it is increasingly difficult to find peace and quiet in any Caravan Park. Noisy Neighbours / Dogs fouling, and children constantly running around, even at night time. Example RAC at Monkey Mia
We could take a good long look at some Caravan parks in the UK that will only allow Adults to camp, no children, and some no animals.
Oh for the peace and tranquility in the outback.
Talk about “Grumpy ole man”!
Trevor If you want quiet do as we have been doing for years, that is, we stay home during school holidays. Or if stuck out during school holidays and the place is too noisy we free camp in some isolated place until school holidays are over.
Completely agree! I’ve just sold up the van and will be staying in high range accomodation from now on. Standards are dropping dropping dropping…
While we’ve been travelling for the last couple of months we’ve noticed the increase of young families on the road for extended trips, some are YouTubers.
There a lot of people in their 40s retiring and just doing a bit on the road no home, home schooling the kids, we have met a lot like that. Come out of big high paying jobs, no mortgage just bus or big rig.
Can’t get in most parks are full. The price overnight is getting ridiculous. And now it seems dogs rule the caravan parks. Dogs everywhere. They get left behind to bark while their ‘loving’ owners go sightseeing.
Where are all the Shire and Council Parks. All the thousands of more caravan sold and where is the infrastructure to accomodate them? Maybe the government expect us to buy caravans and pay GST plus all the taxes that come with caravans, then insure them, and then park them away in Storage facilities as housing blocks are now too small to keep them home.
Wow. That,s a free Country. No we are just mugs.
Been travelling for 10.years on and off..not anymore.Too crowded overpriced unfriendly people who look the other way when you are approaching.Forty year olds of me me generation with their oversized rigs and out of control kids.Absolutely no caravanning and camping etiquette and no basic courtesy .
Frank
Boy! You guys should sell your rigs and stay home “Waiting for God” if life on the road is so bad. As for us we love it!
‘
Unfortunately you are correct but we have met some great young families that do try to keep the noise down but kids in the bush is great to see.
There should be a fee for dogs in caravan parks. And some should advertise no dogs allowed and put their fees up. I would readily pay more to not have to put up with the plague of dogs in most parks.
If caravanning and camping is becoming more popular why are more and more parks putting in more cabins at the expense of camp sites???
Beacuse with a rental crisis, the parks make far more money renting cabins, than they do a patch of grass for you to park your oversize super loo with a bed in it.
Nice picture but hasn’t anybody told those camped near or under the gum trees about “Widow makers?
See many caravans but car camping with a tent , very rare.
Wow! A lot of pent up anger here. Why can’t we all be happy campers & just share our wonderful country
I agree, it is a wonderful country big enough for all of us plenty of room for all, I am going on 80 and had 3 van and have gone back to a 10 person pop up tent with my wife and dachshund having a ball out in the country
I agree, so give them a tall glass of Get Over It a d I will give them a straw to suck it up with. Nothing anywhere is perfect
I haven’t joined the club yet, as I’ve just ordered my RV (won’t arrive till 2024). I will be a solo traveller. I was interested in this article. Then I thought I’d read some of the comments. WOW – you guys are so full of anger/resentment. Not all of you, but there sure are a LOT of you. I have worked for over 50 years. I am now planning to “live my dream” after a cancer battle! I will be free camping. I will be using parks. It all depends where I am and availability, etc. To see the attitudes here, makes me worry …
Don’t let the negative nellies put you off. There’s room for everyone. Just avoid the coast and popular holiday places during school holidays.
Enjoy the great outdoors while we can. With all the climate change crowd demanding an end to fossil fuel vehicles towing our rigs with EV’s won’t work. That will end the rise in tourist numbers.
Also have to remember a lot more people living in vans these days because they have lost there rental home happened to us. We had to vacate our rental home of 23 years within 4 months and living in a rural area not many houses to rent. Btw both in our sixties so no chance of getting a home loan. So now we live full-time in our 19 van and we find showground camping the best for us, usually big sites to park, a lot cheaper than caravan parks and more room for our dog to walk and play. But I must admit in the 8 months we been travelling there seems to be more and more caravans and motorhome’s on the road and all looking for a place to stay. We have learnt always phone ahead to book a place to stay nothing worse than driving all day getting to your destination only to find out everywhere is booked out and free camping sites are full.
Wow,so much anger.we are a struggling family of 5 but living the dream on the road. Yes we have a bus towing a troopy with a boat on top but worked f ing hard for it…as for kids they are just being kids for once instead of being on technology that everyone winges about…..just enjoy our backyard
We like to get away as much as we can on short trips up to 6 weeks once a year have had no problems with kids or pets, our next trip we are trying to take the dogs for a trip as kennels are $50 a night for 2 Little dogs do the sums only trouble I find with kids & teens are the little darlings I need to watch that are born with bolt cutters in their hand’s & like to learn to drive late at night
Thanks Grey Nomads again another great article it is the highlight of my day when I get to read reviews from sour old farts & not so old farts that should stay home or drive on if not happy with free camp set ups or can’t afford cp’s
Each to their own I just ask while your whingeing make sure you clean up after yourself & take your
Rubbish out with you & if you got room take a bit extra with that the grubs leave behind
As for speed most won’t complain if you keep you line & constant speed
PS just get on & thanks for the comedy lol