A Strategic Approach to the Caravan and Camping Industry 2012

Research for the Caravan and Camping Strategy study also uncovered a significant lack of
reliable data on caravan and camping facilities across the state such as dump points, rest
areas, permitted lengths of stay at authorised free and low cost camp sites, ablution
facilities, litter disposal points, caravan parks etc. A number of sources were consulted
and on cross checking much of the data conflicted. This results in visitors inadvertently
breeching regulations, and relying often on incorrect information published in
guidebooks and user forums. It also makes it very difficult to plan caravan and camping
holidays, potentially resulting in a loss of market share for the state.
Strategy
The collection of ABS statistics for caravan parks and campgrounds must be resumed as a
matter of highest priority and at a minimum, collect and publish data on occupancy,
visitor nights and revenue (by small area and by tourism region).
Funding permitting, it would be beneficial to expand the scope to include all caravan and
camping facilities with five or more caravan or camp sites, including DEC operated
campsites and Transit Parks.
planners, government and others to plan and develop appropriate facilities to fill gaps
and improve the quality of caravan and camping infrastructure provided.
Positive Impacts
Improving collection and publication of this data would enable developers and operators
to continue to grow and develop caravan and camping infrastructure. It would facilitate
accurate planning and forecasting and provide sufficient justification on which to base
investment decisions. It also allows operators to bench mark their performance against
their local area, tourism region and state to measure their own marketing and
operational effectiveness.
Publication of information with different levels of information accessible by different user
groups would provide a cost effective repository of information which could be
maintained for use by a range of stakeholders.
Tourism WA could collect, collate and publish fact sheets for Western Australia on
caravan and camping statistics similar to those produced by Tourism Victoria at
http://www.tourism.vic.gov.au/images/stories/marketsegments/caravan-and-campingtourism-market-profile-2009.pdf.
Funding should also be sought to conduct a combination of primary and secondary
research into the needs, ‘real costs’ and benefits of provision of facilities for selfcontained
campers visiting regional communities. This would helpful for local
governments to better plan and provide facilities to suit the needs of this group of users
and evaluate cost recovery options that would best suit the needs of the providers and
the users. The leading recreational vehicle consumer group CMCA confirmed in its
monthly member’s magazine, Wanderer, that member users of ‘free camping’ are
prepared to pay an appropriate fee for “free camping”, if it resulted in better facilities,
safety and security.
It is important that a complete list of caravan and camping facilities across the state is
compiled, maintained and published. It should include dump points, rest areas, permitted
lengths of stay at authorised free and low cost camp sites, ablution facilities, litter
disposal points, caravan parks etc. ATDW would present an advantageous means of
publishing this information online, though a more detailed internal database should also
be maintained which includes licencing details, number of sites, site types, condition of
facilities, licence provisions etc. This information could then be used by developers,
A Strategic Approach to Caravan and Camping Tourism in Western Australia Page 105