Twenty, twenty-one (2021) is destined to be one of the busiest yet for families exploring the outdoors. The RV and Outdoor hospitality industries saw a huge increased demand last year, and that hasn’t slowed down as people throughout Canada look for a safe way to get out and connect.
Craig & Rose Little, who own Vancouver Island’s largest RV dealer network, Arbutus RV, have seen the ebbs and flows of the RV industry since their first location opened in 1988. In those 33 years, they have never seen such an influx of new RVers as they did over the past year.
“Last March, as COVID-19 restrictions came into place we saw an unprecedented drop in sales, but within a few short weeks we saw that many Vancouver Islanders recognized that the RV lifestyle was perhaps one of the only safe choices when it came to travelling, and sales quickly accelerated to record levels” commented Little.
Although challenges swept through the industry as restrictions and shutdowns impacted manufacturing lines throughout North American, the interest in the RV lifestyle only grew.
“We’ve seen tremendous interest, with a lot of people yearning to get out and explore, but do it safely. With an RV you control your environment, your schedule, your destination, and of course, your safety. We’ve spent countless hours ensuring we have enough inventory, both new and pre-enjoyed to continue to meet the needs of our guests. And to further support that growth, last fall, we added an additional mid-island Arbutus RV location in Parksville.” noted Little on the challenges of keeping up with demand.
With camping season soon upon us, many families will be setting out to explore the Island, and many Island campgrounds are already open or preparing to open in the coming weeks. Arbutus RV, now with 6 full-service Vancouver Island locations, is focused on being ready to meet the needs of the ever-growing number of Vancouver Island’s RV’ers.
