Are Camper Travel Lovers the New Wave of Tourism? A Growing Trend for Destinations

Abstract

This research analyses the challenges of an emerging tourism segment, which we shall call 'Camper Travel Lovers' (CTLs) and is linked to the users of motorized vehicles such as motorhomes and camper vans for tourism purposes. The study focuses on Girona Province (Catalonia, Spain) and uses primary sources of information to conduct quantitative research through a structured survey. A total of 406 such surveys were carried out with camper van users to determine their current profile. Although the goals of this new segment are to seek out greater contact with nature, relaxation and discovery of new territories, while sharing the experience with family or friends and guaranteeing safety in the face of the new health emergency situation caused by COVID-19, CTLs differ from travelers who adopt a lifestyle focused on the concept of #vanlife and also retirees or Grey nomad caravanners, because they use their vehicles for short holidays. Since the CTL segment has undergone exponential growth in recent years and been further boosted by COVID- 19, given that as a means of travel it reduces contact with others and minimizes the risk of contagion, we see it as representing a trend in tourist mobility in the coming years, therefore posing both challenges and clear opportunities for managers of DMOs