The camping trend is here to stay, but what do the facts and figures tell us about this supposed boom? Even if you are not a camper yourself, you probably know someone in your circle of friends or family who regularly follows the call of nature, be it in their own motorhome or caravan.
But honestly, is this camping boom still going? To look at a comparable period from 2020 to 2023, we will focus on the months January to October, as the data for November 2023 has not yet been published at the time of this blog article.
Camping in 2020: A boom in uncertain times
2020 was a real camping boom with the start of the pandemic. Especially since May 2020, there has been a real jump in new registrations of campers, both motorhomes and caravans. With 88,067 new registrations (Jan-Oct 2020), many Germans have created an opportunity to travel despite the pandemic.
But camping is not just a trend triggered by the Covid period, it has been a popular way of traveling for generations. Around 11 million Germans go camping every year, and 2 million do so frequently.
Resilient industry despite economic uncertainties
You might think that due to the economic uncertainty, people are spending less. But the camping industry is holding up well in these turbulent times. Jan-Oct 2020 there were 94,656 new registrations. For the same period in 2021 -> 102,314. For 2022 -> 83,109 and this year (2023) 80,805.
These figures show that the camping industry is also struggling with challenges. These are due, among other things, to the stalled supply chain and staff shortages, which are severely affecting the production of mobile homes and caravans.
Trend towards compactness and outlook for 2023
The supply bottlenecks have also affected the used market, where prices remain high despite wear and tear. A particular trend is compact models, especially campervans and panel vans, which account for more than half of all new motorhome registrations.
Despite the challenges, the Caravaning Industry Association (CIVD) predicts that demand for recreational vehicles will remain high in 2023. The trends are moving towards compact, everyday models. The industry hopes that the delivery situation will improve over the course of the year.
Overall, camping remains popular in Germany, with increasing demand for innovative concepts and self-sufficient solutions. There is increased booking demand for the 2023 season, especially for sites in southern Europe and Germany.
