Caravan Tourism in India – Discovering the Roads Less Travelled
Caravan or travel trailer tourism has long been a popular niche segment within experiential tourism around the world, but its appeal has surged in the post-pandemic era. Vacations at motorable destinations and caravan tourism have grown in popularity since restrictions were eased and people began to travel again as it offers people affordability, flexibility, and freedom, as well as safety, privacy, and the possibility to completely isolate oneself, all of which have become important considerations for travelers in the COVID-world.Caravan tourism is already well-established in countries like the US, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of North America and Europe and has been one of the quickest to recover after the pandemic. Caravan holidays, for instance, contribute GBP 9.3 billion to the British economy every year, employing over 130,000 people. Meanwhile, a recent study shows that the leisure vehicle tourism market contributed around EUR 14 billion to the German economy over the last two years, with overnight stays increasing by 50% to over 10 million in 2020. Similarly, Australia’s camping and caravan industry which employed 53,000 people and generated 12 million trips pre-COVID, has been bouncing back faster compared to other travel segments, with one in three Australians undertaking a caravan or camping trip in the first quarter of 2021.