leisureholding.com

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Deb Kohls
Friend Communications
(888) 333-9383, ext. 223

Statistics Show Travel Bookings Up for Camping and RVing

ORANGE, Calif. - In the midst of increasing gas prices and questions about consumer travels, the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) and Friend Communications have good news to report. Total campground and RV bookings are up 23 percent from January to May 2008 versus the same period last year, according to online bookings at GoCampingAmerica.com and reservation statistics from Friend’s front office management system. Web bookings alone have increased by more than 17 percent, as more consumers plan their trips online.

“These numbers show that camping continues to be a strong and viable vacation option even in this uncertain economy,” said Linda Profaizer, ARVC president. “People still have a desire to get outdoors and travel. The statistics say they are turning to camping and RVing as a getaway.”

According to the statistics, people are using the Internet even more for those transactions. “We’ve always known that consumers appreciate the convenience of being able to make reservations online at anytime with just a couple of mouse clicks. We continue to see online traffic and revenues increase as more and more campers and RVers turn to the Web to make their travel plans,” said Kelly O’Bryan, vice president of marketing at Friend and Camping.com.

The numbers show that the top 10 states for camping activity this year are Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. Michigan and Wisconsin have seen some of the most favorable changes this year with 30 and 29 percent increases, respectively.

“What does this mean? This is good news for the outdoor travel and hospitality economy,” O’Bryan added. “For those consumers planning to head out this summer, we suggest booking early. With these numbers, it’s clear that sites are filling up quickly.”

The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) is the trade organization with 4000 active members representing the interests of the approximately 8500 privately owned (commercial) parks in the United States. Commercial parks contribute an estimated 21 billion dollars to local economies each year and the growth prospects for this sector of the outdoor hospitality industry are very strong. For more information, visit www.ARVC.org.

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 make up 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 .