5 Good News Stories for the RV Industry

1) McCain and Obama are Campaigning Widely in RVs

What better advertisement for RVs than to see the two men campaigning to be president using them to get close to voters? Both Barack Obama and John McCain have been travelling around the country meeting people and utilising their RVs.

Obama took his family with him during a campaign swing through New Hampshire and McCain has travelled for years in his "Straight Talk Express". First seen 2000, McCain used the RV heavily again in 2008, particularly during the primary season.

2) People Are Still RVing

RV folk still love their vehicles. The only change is that RV forums are full of people swapping advice on how to save money while still keeping on RVing. The Campfire Canvass survey by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association shows that RVers are becoming greener and more energy conscious:

66 percent drive or tow their RV at 55 mph
68 percent turn off water while bathing
74 percent turn out lights in their RV
76 percent minimize use of air conditioning by opening windows
15 percent use solar panels on RVs

3) RV Vacations are Still Great Value

Even with high gas prices, RV trips remain the least expensive type of vacation. A family of four could save over 60% compared to other forms of transport. Even if you took an ultra-luxury Type A diesel motorhome it would be less expensive than flying and staying in a hotel. Fuel prices would have to more than double for that to change.

4) National Parks were Full of RVs This Year

Yellowstone Park is the biggest in the nation and its RV parks reported busy activity throughout the summer. More than 1.1 million RVs visited National Park campgrounds through the first seven months of this year, on course for a drop of only 6% from last year.

5) RV Parks Helped Hurricane Ike Refugees

As people in Texas fled the path of Ike, 400 RV resorts in the state offered discounted rates of up to 50% or more. Hundreds and hundreds of people used their RVs to take their families to safety.

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