60+ Camping and Caravan Travel Statistics, Numbers and Trends

Camping is a relaxing activity that entails spending the night/multiple nights in a safe shelter in the wilderness. Camping encompasses a wide range of activities, but in essence, it is a means to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and spend some time in a more natural setting. In recent years, caravans, campervans, and converted vans have grown in popularity, providing travelers more freedom and healthy travel access to nature.

US Camping and Caravan Statistics

Camping, whether in a recreational vehicle, on-ground tent-based camp, or even in one's backyard, is one of the most popular outdoor leisure activities in the United States.
In 2016, Americans spent 587 million days camping.
In the United States, 41.8 million individuals camped in their cars, backyards, or RVs (recreational vehicles) in 2017.
Consumers spent about $3 billion on camping equipment in the same year, with sleeping bags and travel packs accounting for a substantial share of the total.
According to a research survey in 2017, 12% of Americans believe camping vacations have greatly improved in the last five years (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Opinions on improvement of Camping vacations in the US

In the United States, there have been 7 million additional camper households since 2014 (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Number of people camping in the US

In 2018, 5% of families said they were camping for the first time.
Since 2014, the average percentage of camping tourists three or more times per year has increased by 72 percent.
In 2019, 66 percent of families expect to increase the number of times they prefer camping tours.
Families who choose to camp increased by 4 million in 2018, hitting a figure of 78.8 million.
Since 2014, 22 percent of families preferred camping at least once a year has increased.
Since 2014, the camping percentage of tourists those who camp at least three times in one year has increased by 72 percent.
Over the last five years, the percentage of families camping with children has increased by 17 percent.
Sixty-six percent of teenagers and fifty-one percent of youngsters say they enjoy camping.
There has been a 46 percent rise in campers who plan to camp more frequently since 2014.
84 percent of campers said they plan to go to more camps in 2019.

Australian Camping and Caravan Statistics

On Australian roadways, over 750,000 relaxing vehicles for example caravans and motorhomes are registered, with 90% of these vehicles constructed in Australia.
National camping and caravan vacations had declined to 10.6 million yearly trips by December 2020, down from a high of 14 million in 2019.
However, once the country's borders reopen, expect a surge in road excursions.
The residents of Australia spent 54.5 million nights in caravans and camping at the end of March 2019, up 6.5 percent from the previous year, according to the latest domestic tourist snapshot.
The overall number of journeys increased by 8.5 percent year over year to 12.9 million.
Every year, caravan and camping excursions benefit remote locations enormously, with no difference in records of 2018-2019, with caravan and camping journeys accounting for 30% of all travels in regional Australia.
20 percent of all nights spent in regional areas were spent in caravan and camping accommodations.
Many tourists chose caravans and campers to eat at local cafes or restaurants while on these journeys.
With 6.7 million caravan and camping trips involving eating out, this was the most popular activity for the year.
In terms of journeys, growth was seen in all states and territories, with double-digit increases in the Northern Territory, South Australia side, Victoria, Tasmania, and Queensland.
Growth was also seen in the South Wales region and Western Australia, though at a slower pace.
In the expression of age demographics, the family fragments (where a parent with a child living at home) had the most excursions (4.4 million), followed by the younger midlife group (no children) with 4.2 million.
With 32 percent of total nights, the older non-working 'grey nomads' group leads the way, followed by the family segment with 30 percent, putting a positive impact on the national growth rate.
As Australians adjust to a COVID travel climate, caravan and camping remain the most popular holiday accommodation option, accounting for 44 percent of all travel nights across Australia, according to the latest Tourism Research Australia findings for the September 2020 quarter.
According to the findings, Australians took over 1.9 million caravan and camping vacations, resulting in 8.4 million nights in the September Quarter of 2020 alone.
While this indicated a nationwide fall of –28% and –14%, respectively, it was still put a greater significant impact on tourism.

UK Camping and Caravan Statistics

Each year, the number of nights spent camping and caravanning in the United Kingdom varied.
In 2017, a bit more than 50 million nights were spent camping and caravanning (Figure 3).
In 2019, this figure fell to 59.46 million nights, down from 64.71 million the previous year.

Figure 3: Night spend camping and caravan in Great Britain

In 2019, the most money was spent on not-owned (rented) static caravans in the United Kingdom, with 842 million British pounds spent on such vacations.
Touring caravan holidays were extremely popular, with spending totaling 625 million British pounds.
Residents of the United Kingdom spent £2.2 billion on camping and caravanning excursions in 2019.
They spent 13.8 million vacation days in Spain, 6.0 million in France, 3.1 million in Italy, and 2.3 million in Portugal.
In total, 51 percent of vacation travels were domestic and 49 percent were international.
Static caravans accounted for 43%, touring caravans, motorhomes, and campervans for 31%, tent camping for 23%, and glamping for 4%.
Residents of the United Kingdom stayed in caravans, tents, glamping, and motorhomes for 55 million holiday bed nights in 2019.
The category goes popular and gets 6% nights more than hotel/motel, 23% more than 'constructed' self-catering, and 364 percent more than guest house/bed and breakfast.
In 2019, the average trip length was 4.2 nights, with an average spend of £168 per person for a domestic stay in camping and caravan, and £40 per person for international camping and caravanning holidays.
Around a fifth of all vacation parks and campgrounds are open all year.
In 2019, EU inhabitants spent 420 million nights camping or caravanning, with the UK accounting for 59 million, France 129 million, Italy 55 million, Spain 41 million, Germany 36 million, and the Netherlands 22 million.
In 2015, 57 percent of British inhabitants had domestic vacations, up to 53 percent in 2008.
Residents of the United Kingdom took 7% fewer foreign vacations in 2015 than in 2008.
New motorhome registrations increased by 10.6% in the period of 2015 (September 2014 to June 2015), while motor caravan registrations increased by 22.3 percent.
Camping and caravanning are more environmentally friendly, less expensive, and take less time than international travel.
A family might save 8.6 hours of travel time, 92 percent of transportation expenditures, and 95 percent of CO₂ emissions on the average trip comparison, which is enough to make 80,472 cups of tea.
In 2011, the number of 'glamping' sites in the UK increased by 50%.
Camping and caravanning are becoming more upscale, with the AB category rising from the lowest to the second-largest client segment between 2006 and 2009.
Between 2004 and 2008, the number of activity vacations climbed by 13%.
Only 28% of camping and caravan sites accept online reservations, compared to 79 percent of hotels and 36% of guest houses and B&BS.
Camp Kerala in Shepton Mallet, near Glastonbury, is thought to be Britain's most expensive campsite, costing £9,600 for two for a four-night stay.
The price covers on-stage festival tickets, Winnebago access, food, and concierge (additional fees apply for an ensuite toilet, drinks, spa treatments, and helicopter transportation).
In Scotland, August is the busiest month for traveling caravans and camping grounds.
They were 61 percent full in 2018, up from 28 percent at the beginning of the spring/summer season in April.
In 2019, the number of domestic tourists who went camping and caravanning in England fell to roughly 9.3 million (Figure 4).
Domestic camping and trailer excursions in England without children increased from 44% to 50% between 2006 and 2010.