BILLINGS, MT (May 23, 2013) –
Summer camping at the 485 Kampgrounds of America locations around North America
is off to a fast start, according to numbers released this week by KOA, the
world’s largest system of open-to-the-public campgrounds.
KOA’s advanced registrations for the Memorial Day Weekend
are up more than 4 percent over the same period in 2012. Advanced reservations
for the entire summer peak season (Memorial Day to Labor Day) are even
stronger, showing an increase of 8 percent for that period compared to 2012.
“The 12-day period surrounding the Fourth of July holiday is
actually up more than 14 percent over that same period in 2012,” said KOA
President Pat Hittmeier. “All indicators show a strong summer camping season on
the way.”
According to a recent survey by the Recreational Vehicle
Industry Association (RVIA), an estimated 14 million Americans will enjoy the
Memorial Day Holiday Weekend in an RV. The survey also said 71 percent of RV
owners intend to use their recreational vehicles more this summer than they did
last year, and an additional 21 percent intend to use their RVs at least as
much as they did in 2012. Only 5 percent reported that they intend to decrease
their camping.
Kampgrounds of America officially launched its summer
camping season with its 10th Annual KOA Care Camps Big Weekend May
10-11. More than 12,000 KOA camping families stayed more than 25,000 camping
nights during the event. Campers who stayed as paying guests on Friday, May 10
received a free night of camping on Saturday, May 11. The event also serves as
a major fundraiser for KOA Care Camps for children with cancer, a network of 55
specialized summer camps for children with cancer located throughout North
America.
Kampgrounds of America is
celebrating its 51st Anniversary in 2013. KOA, the world’s largest network of
family-friendly campgrounds, was born on the banks of the Yellowstone River in
Billings, Montana in 1962.