How is <strong>camping</strong> changing? According to the Caravan & Camping Industry Association NSW (CCIA), the caravan, motorhome and <strong>camping</strong> 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 <strong>camping</strong>. 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 <strong>camping</strong> accommodation, accounting for 91% of total domestic visitor <strong>camping</strong> 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). 18
Figure 5 Caravan and trailer production, 1929–2012 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 Production (000) 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Source: RVMA, ABS, IBIS World 06/05/13 Figure 6 Production of towable and self-propelled RVs, 2007–2012 25 000 20 000 1 517 1 402 989 15 000 1 280 1 583 1 226 5 691 5 764 5 044 10 000 5 575 4 840 3 936 3 418 3 502 3 719 4 083 3 530 2 857 5 000 6 913 6 953 6 947 9 610 10 788 11 313 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Towable caravans Towable camper trailers Towable pop-tops Self-propelled RVs Source: ABS, Motor Vehicle Census, Australia (2012) 19
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