New RV sales trending upward ahead of camping season
Alberta remains strong when it comes to consumers purchasing new recreational vehicles (RVs) and fifth wheels for camping and other activities.
"(In) 2023, we saw a bit of a lull coming through the market. The cost of living went up, interest rates were up, the price of new RVs was up" said Travis Weaver, business manager for Arrkann RV.
"Coming into 2024, we have seen it rebound as interest rates have started to stabilize."
Weaver says Arrkann, Fraserway RV and Traveland RV are duking it out at RV Wars through the weekend, enticing folks to purchase a new RV, trailer or fifth wheel.
"We want to do this sale kind of right at the start of May. Gives people some time to get in, pick their new units up, get them home, loaded, so they can head out camping when their first trip comes around," he said.
The Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of Canada tracks sales of new units through data gathered by Statistical Surveys Inc.
President Eleonore Hamm says last year saw a significant drop in purchases due to high inflation and a spending crunch many Canadians faced amid the affordability crisis.
In 2019, across Canada, 45,693 new units were sold.
In 2020, 44,972.
In 2021, 53,183.
In 2022, 44,004.
And in 2023, it was 34,610.
"So while we were down in 2023 by about 21 per cent (in sales), Alberta actually has always been very strong. Alberta only saw a drop of about seven per cent in 2023," Hamm said.
"It used to be obviously an older consumer that was really going camping, whereas now, the demographic, the median age of an RV purchaser is in their 40s. It's the young family.
"The focus has shifted a little bit, in terms of just being a vehicle for camping, in terms of now being a real lifestyle vehicle."
Hamm says Alberta has fared well in the RV market, and almost one in five households owns an RV.
"Fourteen per cent of Canadian households own an RV but in Alberta, it's about 20 per cent of the households, so a very strong market," Hamm said.
"And it looks like it's trending in the right direction."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Teen was doing homework at family's Mississauga, Ont. restaurant when gunman opened fire: testimony
The 13-year-old sister of a young man killed in the attack on her family’s Mississauga restaurant in 2021 took the stand in a Brampton courthouse on Monday to describe the terrifying moments of coming under fire.
'Repetitive partisan conduct': Conservatives to force vote on ousting Speaker Greg Fergus
The federal Conservatives have advanced a motion that will force MPs to vote on whether to oust Greg Fergus as House of Commons Speaker, after MPs' deputy adjudicator ruled Monday that the Liberal member's allegedly errant partisan event invite required urgent attention.
Trial for B.C. man accused of killing, dismembering wife begins
The trial for a Langley man accused of killing his wife began Monday, with the prosecutor laying out a disturbing series of facts agreed upon by both Crown and defence.
Stars roar back to win Game 3 over Oilers
Jason Robertson's hat-trick goal midway through the third period broke a deadlock and proved to be the eventual winner as the Dallas Stars beat the host Edmonton Oilers 5-3 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final to take a 2-1 series lead.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
Severe thunderstorms, tornado watch in some areas of Canada. Here's where
Depending on where you live, you can expect to get a mixed bag of weather this week, as local forecasts predict heavy rain, strong wind, severe thunderstorms and even snowfall across some areas of Canada.
B.C. senior prepares to move due to devastating effects of fraud
A Courtenay, B.C., senior is downsizing and packing to move as she comes to accept she can no longer afford to stay in her home, after falling victim to a scam that robbed her of her life savings worth more than $100,000.
Israel close to approving Gaza reunification program before Rafah invasion: Miller
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Israel seemed to be on the verge of approving a program to get Palestinian relatives of Canadians out of the Gaza Strip before the country's invasion of the town of Rafah.