Of RV owners prefer standing still


Seasonal campsites are more coveted than ever by RV owners scared of gas prices, so campgrounds have to turn them down.

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“Seasonal camping used to be cheesy, but it’s become trendy. We have 30 people on our waiting list, but only two sites that became available this year,” says Élise Ménard, head of the Beau-Lieu campground and its 402 seasonal sites near Sherbrooke.

The majority of the twenty or so establishments contacted by Le Log lately was also full on the seasonal side, and has been for several months.

“Our record number of seasonal workers from last year, we will definitely beat it this year,” illustrates Sylvain Gauthier, director of operations for the 11 Parkbridge campsites in Quebec, which have more than 5,000 sites of this type. .

With about fifty names on her waiting list, Johanne Breton estimates that those interested could have to wait another two summers before settling in the Laurentians for the season at the Mirabel campsite, which she owns.

At the Parc de la Péninsule, in Mauricie, enthusiasts even prefer to buy a trailer already installed on one of the 330 sites rather than waiting their turn for ten years, reveals Monique Marquis, reservations manager.

Filling up hurts

If the pandemic has a lot to do with this renewed interest in seasonal camping, the price at the pump is also changing the situation, according to several operators.

“Obviously people are a little discouraged. Those who don’t have a lot of money want to be more stationary,” says Ms. Breton.

Class A vehicles (among the largest) can easily consume 20 to 30 liters per 100 km, while gasoline costs more than $2 per litre. Even towing a trailer costs more.

Less far, longer

As a result, “most people will go less far, or settle longer in the same place rather than jumping around,” believes Denis Robitaille, of the Fédération québécoise de camping caravaning.

An online survey conducted by the organization in mid-April, when gasoline cost $1.75/l, also indicates that one in five campers planned to extend their stays in the same place, and that 17% were planning to camp closer to home.

However, these fewer or farther trips are not necessarily bad news for the camping industry in Quebec.

“We do not have the impression that the increase in the price of gasoline will have a negative impact [pour les affaires]. Even if people stay longer at the same campsite, they are still at a campsite,” says Camping Québec CEO Simon Tessier.

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Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com

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