Camping, like other outdoor activities, comes with inherent risks—dangers can arise from encountering uneven terrain, natural bodies of water, features of nature such as tree stumps or roots or other elements of the natural world. Even so, some campers have filed lawsuits against campground owners to try to assign blame for injuries that arise from these inherent risks that are beyond the campground owners’ control.

The 2020 Industry Trends and Insights Report, released Tuesday by the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, includes data that shows that the COVID-19 pandemic affected parks (some more than others) in a variety of ways in 2020, including impacting shoulder seasons and causing a wide swing in occupancy rates and profits.

The Virginia Campground Association (VCA) has received $10,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s (VTC) Recovery Marketing Leverage Program (RMLP), designed to help local and regional tourism entities attract more visitors by leveraging limited local marketing dollars through a local match of the state grants funds.

The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) is proud to announce that Rebecca Maguire, association’s senior manager of membership and marketing, was recently named to the RV PRO 2020 U40 list, designed to recognize up-and-coming leaders younger than 40 from across the industry.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) today released its latest data from 2019 showing the overall value of the outdoor recreation industry and, more specifically the RV and camping sector, which contributes an estimated $18.6 billion to the US economy, according to the research. 

It could be safely said that this year’s camping season was unlike any other in recent memory. Having to endure so many challenges presented by this year’s public health crisis required the owners and managers of ARVC member-parks to be prepared to turn on a dime to implement changes to policies and procedures as conditions warranted. If there are lessons to be learned from meeting these challenges, one of them is the power of being flexible.

One of the many benefits of ARVC membership is having the opportunity to make your voice heard on industry issues that are important to you. One way to do this is by sharing your thoughts and concerns with your area representative, and you now have an opportunity to vote to elect a representative for your area for the next term. The individuals elected will serve on the ARVC Board of Directors for three years beginning on November 5, 2020. Voting opened on August 6 and will continue through November 4 at Noon MT.

[UPDATED 7/16/20] As reports of the coronavirus cases continue to increase across the country, you face ongoing challenges have questions surrounding safety for your campers and employees, the survival of your business and more. The pandemic is rapidly changing, and new information is coming to the forefront daily, and ARVC is here to help you decipher the best information. As new important information and updates become available, this blog will be updated to help keep you informed of the details.   ARVC has created a resources hub to help you stay informed and minimize the effect of the virus at your park and to help create safe accommodations for your guests. This page will continue to be updated as new information and resources become available.

To help parks navigate the challenges of getting back to business, ARVC collaborated with Kampgrounds of America (KOA), the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), the Canadian RV Association (CVA), Marshall & Sterling Insurance, state associations and other industry partners to create a comprehensive Re-Opening Toolkit. The kit is a natural extension of the eight-week webinar series ARVC launched in March which helped more than 1,000 campgrounds across the U.S. and Canada navigate the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Are you looking for a way to get more involved in the outdoor hospitality industry so you can have an even greater impact? Here’s your chance! Nominations are being accepted from May 23 through July 7 to fill six open positions on the ARVC Board of Directors, one for each of the six ARVC voting areas indicated on the map below: