“Van Tourism in Covid Time”: a study says that campers with RVs prefer campsites

The success of the motorhome holiday in the summer of 2020 begins to be the subject of analysis and study, to understand whether this way of enjoying free time is destined to consolidate. The team of the University of Girona’s Multidisciplinary Tourism Research Laboratory presented the conclusions of the “Van Tourism in Covid Time” study. The researchers interviewed over 400 campers who traveled to the Costa Brava during the summer months.

The study starts from the data referring to Catalonia, where motorhomes registrations went from 1,500 in 2014 to 9,000 last year, with an increase of 500%. While not presenting updated data, the study says that, with the arrival of the pandemic, the number of tourists who prefer this mode has continued to grow and it seems that the upward trend is starting to consolidate.

According to the research, the predominant profile of campers using RVs is made up of families with university-level preparation and high purchasing power. This shows that most travelers do not choose this mode for lack of money, but for its values ​​linked to freedom, and mainly motivated by the search for tranquility, well-being, contact with nature and family stays.

An important point, which concerns accommodation facilities in particular, is that about 80% of overnight stays by campers with RVs are spent in campsites, and only 20% outside of them.

Although the health emergency situation caused by Covid-19 motivated tourists to choose this way of traveling, 99.3% of respondents said that, regardless of whether or not they are in a pandemic situation, they will go on a campervan vacation again next year. Only 5% considered health safety elements relevant when choosing the way to travel. However, 30% of respondents say they traveled to the Costa Brava to stay close to home, while in a different situation they would have chosen another destination.

Finally, the study highlights the need to rethink the tourist management of destinations taking into account a growing tourist segment that must be well understood to avoid overcrowding and saturation of some parts of the territory. Appreciation for this research and its results came from the Associació de Càmpings de Girona, which considers it important to regulate and legalize the spaces intended for the reception of tourists traveling by motorhome.