The RV Travellers Coming ready or not!
About the research Focused on travellers using free rest areas Also covers CMCA members Desktop research Standard market research accuracy Based on random sampling A confidence interval of 5 A confidence level of 95%
Who are these RV Travellers?
RV Travellers Self-contained vehicles using free rest areas A changing market not limited to Grey Nomads It is estimated there are 500,000 RV travellers in Australia The market is currently dominated by those born during or before World War II It is being taken over by the dreaded baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964. BBs want adventure, experiences and the opportunity to get to know Australia They will drive a diverse range of self-contained vehicles. Look out here comes the segment that has dominated the way we live, since the 1960s!
Their numbers will continue to grow Source: ABS
Age
Origin
No. in the vehicle
No. in the vehicle - CMCA
Travel with pets - CMCA
Income base 85% are retirees (78% in 2003) 40% are pensioners (45% in 2003) 24% are pensioners with some private income (16% in 2003) 21% are self-funded retirees (17% in 2003) 10% are either on holiday or not currently employed (17% in 2003)
Other Interesting Facts Great Nomads spend approximately $3.2 billion a year in regional Queensland(UWS) The economic worth of RV travellers to Australian tourism is $5.53 billion a year with international RV travellers an additional $2.67 billion a year(tra) Grey nomads comprise up to 70% of the tourism market in some Queensland LGAs It takes $100,000 in additional revenue to create one full-time job (Access Economics)
What are their travel patterns?
Travel patterns On average they travel for 197 days per trip (157 days in 2003) 14% are on the road for a period of more than 12 months (full-time) Feedback suggests full-time road travel has financial benefits. When travelling in Queensland, they spend the most amount of time in outback Queensland NQ is their preferred destination
Length of trip
Length of trip x State
Length of trip x Income
Visitation next two years
Visitation next two years - 2008
Time in Regions CMCA Rally
Towns visited FNQ
How do they communicate?
Communications 79% of CMCA members access the Internet (67% in 2007). Most only occasionally access the Internet for travel information 65% of travellers using free rest areas get information on these locations from friends, acquaintances, word-of-mouth Visitor Information Centres are an important source of information
Use of Internet x Age
Where they access the internet - CMCA
Internet travel information - CMCA
Information sources - 2003
Information sources - 2010
What are their spending patterns?
Spending patterns On average they spend $572 per week On average they spend approximately $14k over the course of their travels On average, they spend $255 a week on fuel and $171 a week on vehicle maintenance On average, they spend $190 a week on groceries, food and non-alcoholic drinks They are the biggest spending travellers in the domestic tourism market
Average weekly spend - 2010
Average weekly spend - 2003
Income
Other spend patterns Those spending $700 or more per week are most likely to be travelling for 3 to 6 months Those travelling for a month or less are likely to spend less than $400 per week Those with incomes of $40k a year were most likely to have an average weekly spend of between $300 and $600 Those with incomes of $40k and $60k a year were most likely to have an average weekly spend of between $700 and $900
What influences spend
What influences spend - CMCA
Items purchased
Items purchased - 2003
Shopping locations - 2003
Rest area spending 96% make purchases in adjacent towns when staying in rest areas (78% in 2003). They consider it important to actively support RV Friendly Towns On average they spend $125 during a 48-hour stay in rest area ($75 in 2003) Many would prefer a 72 hour time limit on rest areas. Rest areas that attract 40 to 50 vehicles per night have a significant economic impact on the adjacent town
Rest area spend - 2003
Where do they stay and how long?
How long and where? They spend 2.15 nights in a rest area for every night they spend in a caravan park (2.7 nights in 2003) Self-contained vehicles spent 2.4 nights in rest areas Vehicles without self-containment spend 1.9 nights 77% are prepared to pay up to $10 to access a rest area Overcrowding is a issue caravan parks and rest areas Most difficult regions in Qld to access a caravan park are Townsville, Cairns, Bowen, Mt Isa and the Whitsundays 31% had difficulty accessing rest areas and 27% difficulty accessing caravan parks
Use of rest areas CMCA 2008
Nights x self-containment
Prepared to pay
Access to rest areas
Access to caravan parks
Availability of caravan parks Queensland has approximately 570 caravan parks At least 50 caravan parks in Queensland have closed over the past 10 years Most closures occurred in coastal regions Average occupancy of Queensland caravan parks is 44%, as use of caravan parks in northern in outback Queensland is highly seasonal Not all caravan parks are acceptable to RV travellers
What about self-contained RVs?
Self-contained RVs In 2003, 15,800 RVs were built in Australia By 2010 this had increased to 22,932 Modern caravans, motorhomes and 5 th wheelers are generally self-contained Campervans have some level of self-containment 60% of rest area vehicles are self-contained 77% of CMCA members vehicles are self-contained In 2007, 21% of CMCA member vehicles had no toilet and 27% no shower, by 2010 this was 16% and 23% 28% of self-contained vehicles had problems accessing a dump point
RV Production Source: Recreational Vehicles Manufacturers Association of Australia
Vehicles with a toilet - CMCA
Vehicles with a toilet - CMCA
Other interesting stuff
Activities
RV friendly towns
RV Friendly Town criteria
Volunteering
Interest in volunteering
Interest in paid work
Conclusions RV Travellers use both rest areas and caravan parks They spend around $600 a week and this is increasing They are committed to spending when they stop at free rest areas Their numbers will increase by more than 60% over the next 10 to 15 years There is an unstoppable move towards fully selfcontained vehicles Many are interested in work and volunteering They re coming ready or not!
Thank you