Key Takeaways
- •Over 52 million North American households camped in 2025 — exceeding pre-pandemic participation levels for the first time
- •Campers are driving a $66 billion economic footprint while prioritizing wellness, connection, and intentional travel
- •The 2026 travel mindset is shifting toward slower, more deliberate trips — operators who understand this will be better positioned to capture it
The pandemic camping surge was supposed to be temporary. The data says otherwise.
KOA's 2026 Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report — the 12th annual edition — found that over 52 million North American households camped in 2025, exceeding pre-pandemic participation levels for the first time. Those campers collectively drive a $66 billion economic footprint. The industry isn't just holding its pandemic gains. It's building on them.
How Camping Has Changed
The volume story is the headline. The behavioral shift underneath it is more useful for operators.
KOA's research describes 2026 as the start of an "open road era" — a moment when the classic American road trip is having a cultural revival. With America's 250th anniversary and Route 66's centennial driving renewed interest in heritage travel, 43% of campers say they're planning trips anchored around Americana destinations this year. Roadside attractions and local diners are outperforming major tourist sites as trip anchors.
The bigger shift is in how campers are approaching the experience itself. This isn't about doing more. It's about slowing down. The 2026 camper is more intentional about where they go, how long they stay, and what they want to feel when they get there. Wellness is a primary driver — not just as a trend word, but as a genuine trip motivator that's reshaping what amenities matter and what experiences drive repeat visits.
What It Means for Operators
Fifty-two million camping households is a market. The question is how much of it your park is capturing.
The shift toward intentional, slower travel has direct implications for how parks position themselves. Guests who are traveling deliberately don't want to feel processed. They want to feel like they chose the right place. That's a marketing and experience problem as much as an amenity problem. The parks that communicate a clear sense of place — what makes staying with you different from the park 20 miles away — are better positioned in a market where the camper is making more considered decisions.
The $66 billion economic footprint number also matters for anyone making the case to local governments, county commissioners, or lenders that campground investment is serious business. That number is larger than the economic output of entire states' tourism sectors. Outdoor hospitality isn't a niche anymore.
What It Means
The camping participation baseline has permanently reset upward. Operators who built capacity and improved their product during the surge years are sitting on a durable demand story that the KOA data now confirms. The guests are there. The trend is real. The opportunity is in capturing more of the $66 billion they're spending.
Source: KOA — 2026 North American Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report