by Ryan Uhles of Bakersfield River Run RV Park

For years, many of us have gone to conferences and looked at reports showing how camping is growing. We analyze the trends as they shift between tents, trailers, motorhomes, and tiny homes. Properties shift to the newest fad, whether it be material items, providing experiential activities, or the newest and fanciest glamping options.  Even with the past few years of great growth, this year is poised to produce an explosion in the industry that we have never seen before. 

There may many reasons that the popularity of camping, RVing, and glamping is skyrocketing.  Regardless of the reasons, now is a great time for everyone in the industry, but this time also brings unique challenges and opportunities. In the past, we have commonly seen the love of the outdoors handed down from generation to generation. With the current pandemic, we are seeing families that have not been exposed to nature’s beauty outside of the city now embracing the lifestyle that we all have loved for years.

CampCalNOW CEO/President Dyana Kelley recently spoke with Visit California regarding the high influx of campers and travelers the camping industry has been experiencing lately. In a blog post on the Visit California website, Kelley directed readers back to the Camp-California website and shared different locations consumers can visit, including national and state parks -- and some CampCalNOW member parks!

"'When you’re in your RV, or camping, you’re in control of your environment,” Dyana shared. “You can spend as much or as little time as you want in any one place. You can go off on a hike all day and come back, and never see a soul.” Such trips, she adds, literally and figuratively “put you in the driver’s seat.”

California is home to nine national parks and 280 state parks—as well as thousands of park campsites...The state’s deep inventory of private campgrounds and RV parks further increase your options, many having pools, cafés, and even tennis courts.

By: Woodall's Campground Management
Originally Published on: Jul 16, 2020

On Monday (July 13) Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all 58 counties to close indoor dining spaces, bars, wineries/tasting rooms, movie theaters, zoos, museums, and other family entertainment. Restaurants are permitted to remain open if they provide outdoor dining and takeout.

Newsom also ordered 30 counties, making up 80% of California’s population, to reclose gyms, fitness centers, churches, malls, hair salons, personal care services, and offices for nonessential sectors.

These announcements come during an increasingly concerning statewide spike in COVID-19 cases. During yesterday’s press conference, Newsom warned that “We’re seeing an increase in the spread of the virus…that’s why it’s incumbent upon us all to recognize soberly that COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon until there is a vaccine or an effective therapy.”

Additionally, California’s two largest school districts announced their upcoming school year will instruct all 700,000 students through online learning, potentially giving momentum to other districts to follow suit as the state navigates the management of coronavirus cases.
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CampCalNOW will continue to advocate for RV parks and campgrounds in California to operate safely and effectively for their guests.