The Kampgrounds of America, Inc.’s (KOA) Monthly Research Report, June 2023 Edition, found that campers have adopted artificial intelligence (AI) more quickly than other leisure travelers when planning a trip.
KOA reported that 32 percent of campers said they have used AI for trip planning, while another 22 percent plan to use it. Comparatively, only 7 percent of non-campers have planned a trip using AI.
Campers who use AI for trip planning are most likely to rely on it for information gathering, including reviews (55 percent), trip research (53 percent), building an itinerary (48 percent), or compiling resources about destinations (36 percent). About one-fourth of campers use AI to find dining tips or places to avoid.
“Campers are emerging as early adopters of AI technologies that make planning travel easier,” said Whitney Scott, senior vice president of strategy at KOA. “We already know that campers are more enthusiastic about travel than other consumers. We’re seeing similar enthusiasm toward online tools that can assist them in planning better, or more, trips easily.”
While campers are more likely to apply AI, KOA found that about one in ten have used or plan to use AI for the entirety of their planning, which suggests that other resources or personal knowledge are still essential in creating itineraries. Additionally, with increased attention to the drawbacks or concerns associated with AI, camper trust has declined, falling nearly 20 points for campers, from 78 percent in May to 59 percent in June.
The June edition of KOA’s Monthly Research Report also found that campers are more likely to participate in other forms of travel than non-campers. Over the past 12 months, and looking forward to the remainder of 2023, campers will increase their travel plans significantly, with more than 8.4 million camping households going camping and combining their camping trip with other forms of travel over this year’s Memorial Day.
“In addition to hotel and resort stays, even with air travel issues, campers are more likely to take both domestic and international trips,” Scott noted. “It’s important to recognize that this group isn’t just campers; they are fervent travelers critical to the overall travel sector.”
Additional findings in KOA’s June Report point indicate increased traffic over holidays and the broader summer season, with nearly 24.4 million households camped over this year’s Memorial Day, two million more than the previous year. For the upcoming July 4th weekend, 22 million households are expected to spend the holiday camping. Most campers, about 90 percent, are planning a camping trip this summer, KOA reported.
Read KOA’s Monthly Research Report, June 2023 Edition, here.
