In the past few months, rising fuel costs and inflation are beginning to change the decisions campers are making. KOA recently reported that 71% of campers are making decisions about their camping based on rising fuel costs. With this change in camping style, it’s becoming more critical than ever for owners to increase the marketing of their parks.
The report published by KOA showed that campers are looking to stay closer to home and stay longer at parks. These decisions mean that campers are putting more thought into where they are going and what parks they will be visiting. Decisions like this are causing campers to do more research on the campgrounds and sites they are staying at. They are looking for a park that offers the amenities that best suit their camping style. This can include level paved sites, paved roads, playgrounds and activities for kids, or the condition of the restrooms and shower facilities. The challenge for the camper is that this information is not readily available. This causes them to seek out alternate sites like Campendium, The Dyrt, or Facebook groups to find the information they are looking for. The campground that they believe checks off most of their needs, will often get their business.
These third-party sites are great for campers but leave the campground owner out of the decision. Becoming an active participant in their decision-making process requires more than a great website. Being active on Facebook and Instagram will help you show guests what you are doing to ensure they have a great experience. Facebook and Instagram ads can also help you find more guests and increase your occupancy. These tools are great but are often not useful for long-term marketing efforts. Posts and ads get attention immediately but quickly die off and are no longer helpful. Campground owners need to look at long-term marketing strategies that will help this season and into the next with minimal effort.
Virtual tours are very new in the outdoor hospitality industry but are not a new technology. Virtual tours have been used for small businesses, real estate, and resort destinations to gain viewers’ attention and offer them a look into the business. They provide a sense of security to the guest and increase their confidence in the business. The best part of a virtual tour is that it can live on a business owner’s website and continue to drive traffic through the visuals it provides guests.
CampSite 360 is the industry leader in campground and RV park virtual tours. Offering customization that helps you to progress your brand and show guests what your business is offering. CampSite 360 virtual tours provide 360° images of all campsites and amenities in an easy-to-navigate platform. Our interactive campground map allows guests to navigate to campsites with just one click and invites them to continue exploring your campground or RV park. Now guests can quickly see the amenities that matter most by exploring pools, playgrounds, and campsites quickly and easily. In addition to this, CampSite 360 virtual tours are uploaded to Google Street View to help you attract more guests!