Wheels start rolling on $2.8 billion caravan sector

FORGET the cruise or overseas trip - Queensland’s caravanning industry is urging us to hit the road with the kids this year.

QUEENSLAND’S $2.8 billion caravan industry is banking on a return to the popular road holidays of the 1970s and 80s as it rebuilds following the coronavirus pandemic.

Caravanning Queensland chief executive Jason Plant said that with international travel looking unlikely for some time, more people were likely to holiday closer to home.

“We are really positive over the medium to long term because people will not be travelling overseas or going on that cruise,” said Mr Plant.

“We hope there is a return to those holidays of the 70s and 80s when people would pack their children in the car and go an explore Australia. The government is pushing the domestic travel industry which is good.”

Mr Plant conceded that travel restrictions put in place earlier this year had hit all areas of the industry from caravan manufacturers and dealers to park operators.

Jumping for joy: Jason Plant from Caravanning Qld

“It was looking like a really positive start to the year but then COVID hit and everything fell off a cliff,” he said. “Retail sales and traffic through dealerships just stopped dead.”

A major blow also came with the cancellation of this month’s annual caravanning and camping expo at the Ekka. “Many of our dealers get the majority of their sales each year from that expo,” said Mr Plant. “Caravan manufacturers, many of whom are based in Queensland, should be given credit for keeping staff employed by pushing out orders and delaying final delivery of vans.”

He said once the State Government had announced the pandemic recovery road map things started to pick to the point that dealers were saying some weekends were hectic with customers.

One company experiencing an upswing is Kedron Caravans, which has sold four of its six-figure off road vans in the past week to interstate buyers.

Mr Plant said the industry now wanted to see state borders reopened as soon as possible with reports senior caravanners, also known as “grey nomads”, were waiting to get into Queensland for their annual pilgrimage north. “A lot of parks and small towns rely on these grey nomads during the winter months,” he said.

Last year, caravanning and camping by domestic travellers in Queensland accounted for 2.6 million trips and 12 million nights. Almost 190,000 recreational vehicles are registered in Queensland, the most of any State or Territory.