qdts-camping-options-toolkit

How is camping changing?
According to the Caravan & Camping Industry Association
NSW (CCIA), the caravan, motorhome and camping industry
is the fastest growing domestic tourism sector in Australia.
The industry is responding to changing consumer
preferences, with caravan and holiday parks enhancing
the quality of accommodation and facilities provided, and
caravan and RV manufacturers incorporating luxury fitouts
with the option to be self-contained. However, there
are still segments of the market wanting something less
structured in the way of non-commercial camping.
Less seasonal patterns of use and an increasing use of RVs
by tourists on extended holiday trips will also aid growth
for industry operators over the next 5 years. Use of longterm
caravan park sites will spike further, due to ongoing
reduced affordability of residential housing, for either
purchase or rent.
Australia ranks third on the list of caravan markets
globally, with 21 500 new caravan registrations in
2011. In the same year, it was recorded caravan and
RV registrations had increased by 250% over the past
15 years. Data collected in the ABS motor vehicle
census revealed between 2008 and 2013, campervan
registrations rose by 20.8% across Australia, a
significantly higher increase than the national average
for all motor vehicles, which was 12.3%. In the past year
alone, the number of registered campervans on our
roads has risen by 2.9% to a healthy 54 101 vehicles.
Market growth
Camping in Australia is dominated by the domestic
market. In 2011, domestic visitors spent around 41 million
visitor nights in caravan or camping accommodation,
accounting for 91% of total domestic visitor camping
nights and contributing a total overnight expenditure
of $5.4 billion.
A number of factors need to be taken into account when
looking at this trend (Source: BDO, 2012 report):
• Tourist park establishments have decreased by
approximately 280 parks between December 1997
and March 2012. That equates to a loss of 4 or 5
parks every quarter over 15 years.
• The reduction in the number of parks has seen a fall
in on-site van numbers, as well as in the number of
powered and unpowered sites.
• Over the same period, industry revenue has risen
from $500 million to $1.2 billion, which is on average
about 6.75% growth per year (compared with the
consumer price index of 2.7% over the same period).
• There has been a slowdown in the revenue growth
of tourist parks (5% growth from June 2010 to
March 2012).
• Occupancy rates have risen since 2005, although the
average park on a typical night would have in excess
of 50 powered or unpowered sites unused and
available for occupancy.
• Cabin numbers have more than doubled over
the past 15 years, leading to a higher number of
employees per park on average.
• Park improvement and development is high on the
list of priorities; however, capital expenditure has
slowed in recent years.
Sources for BDO 2012 report: Snapshots 2012 Caravan or
Camping in Australia, TRA (2012); Caravan and Camping Industry
Profile, CCIA NSW (2011); Consumer Research Report 2011,
Caravanning & Holiday Parks Industry, CRVA (2011)
Survey of tourist accommodation
The ABS survey of tourist accommodation indicates that
in the June quarter of 2010 there were 251 short-term and
66 long-term caravan parks in Queensland. The total
capacity of these establishments was 38 281 sites;
representing a 6% decrease in available sites since 2005
(June quarter). Of these sites, 23 409 were powered,
6890 were cabins, flats, units or villas, 4781 were
unpowered and the remaining 3201 were on-site vans.
Data collected over the years 2005 to 2010 (for the June
quarter) revealed that while the percentage of powered
sites had remained relatively unchanged, there was
a 27% increase in cabins, flats, units and villas (see
Table 4), an 18% decrease in unpowered sites and a
17% decrease in on-site vans.
Table 4 Type and proportion of caravan park sites
2005 2010 Change
Powered sites 61% 61% 1%
Cabins, flats, units, villas 14% 18% 27%
Unpowered sites 15% 12% –18%
On-site vans 10% 8% –17%
In the 10 years to the end of 2012, there were 188 926 RVs
manufactured in Australia (see Figure 5).
In 2011, Queensland had the highest percentage of
registered campervans, at 23.6% of the Australian total.
The state accounted for 36% of the gross increase in
registrations across Australia from 2008 to 2011.
KPMG was commissioned by CCIA to conduct research
into the future of the caravanning industry. It found that
there has been a steady increase in the number of towable
caravans and a significant decrease in the number of selfpropelled
RVs, dropping to 989 from a high of 1517 in 2012
(see Figure 6).
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