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Consumers Appreciate Online Reservations for Campgrounds

ORANGE, Calif. - Consumers are turning to the Internet more than ever to book outdoor travel reservations according to Friend Communications, Orange, Calif.

Deb Kohls, vice president of business development at Friend, reported that RV parks and campgrounds using Friend’s ReservationFriend booking agent are seeing a 100 percent growth over this time last year. They also faired well in 2006 with a 128 percent increase over 2005.

“Last year was a banner year for online reservations,” said Kohls. “We have long known that consumers appreciate the ability to make reservations 24 hours a day, seven days a week and the continual increase in ReservationFriend bookings prove just that.”

Over 750 campgrounds who use ReservationFriend for connecting with online travelers say the online reservation system provides their guests real-time convenience. Mike Gelfand, president of Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, Calif., testifies to that fact. “We have used it for about a year and half and we continue to see online bookings increase. From what we can tell, 80 to 90 percent of online bookings are new business that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

CJ Sands, who operates the 52-site New Orleans RV Campground, La., can also attest to that claim. He explained that Internet and word-of-mouth are their only sources of advertising at this point. Having just opened February 1, they missed the opportunity to be placed in print directories. “We booked 70 sites for our first month in business. Twenty-five percent of those were booked online,” Sands said. “The numbers produced in February are due solely to the Internet and the convenience it provides our guests.”

Sands went on to explain the importance of offering consumers the capability to check availability and make reservations at any time. “We have a limited staff, but when we close the office at night, reservations are still being booked online with Friend’s system.”

Consumers can easily log onto sites such as NewportDunes.com, NewOrleansRVCampground.com, Camping.com and GoCampingAmerica.com at their convenience to make reservations. “We want to make it easy for consumers to make their travel plans and that means making it possible for them to make bookings not just during typical business hours, but at anytime day or night,” Kohls said.

Friend Communications Inc., a subsidiary of Leisure Holding Inc., provides an integrated portfolio of services, including online reservation technology, advertising infrastructure and marketing services to the outdoor recreation industry. Friend is committed to delivering best-of-breed products and marketing support to unite the businesses that makeup this vertical. Through industry partnerships and its sister company, Camping.com, Friend enhances the consumer’s online experience by providing outdoor recreation-centric information, resources and an extensive online reservation network for locating RV parks and campgrounds. More information is available toll-free at 888-333-9383, ext. 223; on the Web at www.friendcommunications.com; or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .