RVing Gets National Exposure
The economically resilient RV and campground industry has been a hot topic among TV and online media outlets lately. For instance, NBC Today recently aired a segment in which consumer correspondent Janice Lieberman went “glamping” in a Winnebago Journey motorhome with two friends.
The group stayed at Normandy Farms Campground, a Good Sam Park in Foxboro, Massachusetts, where they enjoyed facials, a manicure and a campfire sing-along. Normandy Farms, which has a 9/10*/10 Trailer Life Directory rating, has top-notch amenities. Campers can choose from four swimming pools to jump in including two Olympic-size outdoor pools, a heated outdoor pool, and an indoor swimming pool. Adjacent to the indoor pool is a double Jacuzzi and sauna. For those who enjoy a more laid-back approach to entertainment, Normandy Farms Campground also features a Creative Arts Center, which shows movie presentations to its audiences on a large theater screen with impeccable surround sound.
Introducing the segment on the Normandy Farms Campground, host Kathie Lee Gifford called RVing “an alternative to camping for those of us who love the Great Outdoors but would rather not sleep with the snakes.”
In July, the Fox Business News Channel interviewed Richard Coon, chairman of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, as part of a report on the industry’s success despite the recession. Coon gave Fox correspondent Cherryl Casone a tour of a 42-foot Dutchmen Voltage fifth-wheel toy hauler set up near Fox studios in New York, pointing out the vehicle’s roomy bedroom, luxurious kitchen and garage area, which doubles as a living room. “For a family of four taking a vacation,” said Coon, “RVing is two-thirds less expensive than hotels, airline tickets and other costs.”
Also focusing on RVing’s affordability was a June article on Advertising Age’s website concerning the increasing popularity of RV campgrounds that boast sophisticated amenities. According to the piece, “Camping is emerging as the top choice for many families this year, as the industry touts new amenities to draw penny-pinching vacationers who still want to get away but can’t afford shelling out big bucks for airline fare, posh resorts or pricey home rentals.”
The article also described market expansion efforts by the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, including the revamped Go Camping America website and partnerships with the Outdoor Channel.
Focusing on campground customers, business website CBS Interactive interviewed Mark Hendricks, editor of Workamper News, about running a business from an RV. “We have literally hundreds of members running businesses out of their RVs and living in multiple places every year,” Hendricks said about the RVers who sign up with the publication’s job-search program. “With the advent of the Internet and especially now with the tools for bandwidth to connect to the Internet, the door is open to do multiple things from an RV,” he said.