North America
Be a happy campervanner
There’s no better destination for a road trip than North America, so Peter Ellegard catches up with three of the continent’s rental companies to scope out the market
A
s holidaymakers get increasingly adventurous, more are hitting the road and
exploring in motorhomes, otherwise known as campervans or RVs – short for recreational vehicles. Among the companies
specialising in rentals and exhibiting at World Travel Market London this year are North America stalwarts Cruise America (NA160) and El Monte RV (NA140). Arizona-based Cruise America has been operating since 1972 and has 27 rental locations across the USA – plus another five through sister operation Cruise Canada – which adds up to 3,500 vehicles in the USA and 1,000 in Canada. Tracy Thompson, international sales and marketing manager, says one of the biggest changes since she began working for Cruise America 16 years ago is the simplification of its fleet. “When I started, we had a huge choice of motorhomes in different categories and it made it very complicated for the sales staff and customers. So we made it simple. We now offer small, medium and large motorhomes plus a truck camper.” Cruise America’s top five international markets are Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Scandinavia and Australia. According to Thompson, the typical rental period for UK clients is 13 nights, then three weeks for German, Dutch and Australian clients. Thompson says it’s focusing on emerging markets too: “We have a representation agency in South America and one in China, and we are definitely starting to see the Asia market travelling and getting more adventurous,” she adds. The company’s most popular rental locations are San Francisco,
60 05.11.2018 Hit the road
Katie Hubbard, director of marketing, Escape Campervans (NA180), says:
“Our mission is to inspire people to escape their everyday routines and embrace their adventurous spirit. We have depots in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, New York, Miami and Atlanta, and at the moment we’re seeing a lot of interest in our Vancouver base. Typically, international clients come from the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain, and they’re primarily millennials in couples or groups of friends. We also see a large number of active empty nesters and baby boomers. This year, we launched our biggest campervan model, the Big Sur, as well as our fi rst truck camper, the Indie Truck Camper. We plan on continuing to grow our USA and international business, and expand into new markets to give customers more options across North America.”
Canada’s Banff national park is a picturesque road trip destination
Millennial boom
El Monte’s Antin says that while motorhomes are mainly still used for family holidays with renters in the 45-plus age group, festivals such as Nevada’s Burning Man are attracting a lot of younger people. Cruise America’s Tracy Thompson agrees, saying a “huge amount of people” hire motorhomes to attend festivals, resulting in a much younger client profi le, particularly domestically. On age restrictions, Thompson says: “A lot of people don’t realise that you only have to be 21 to hire a motorhome and there is no supplement for under-25s, unlike car rental companies.” Another trend is for renters to book motorhomes as part of a longer holiday, such as adding one on at the end of a cruise. “There’s a growth in people
using us as part of a bigger, multi- centre itinerary,” says Thompson.
Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver and Seattle, followed by Florida’s gateways, with 65% of clients doing a round trip and 35% opting for one-way rentals. Calgary and Vancouver are Cruise Canada’s top Canada rental locations. For 2019, Cruise America is adding New Orleans, Nashville, Charlotte and Bozeman.
Seeking new markets Founded in Californian town El Monte in 1970, El Monte RV now has 13 USA locations serving international markets, the most popular being San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Cole Antin, El Monte RV Europe marketing director, says that the rental company has revamped its entire rental vehicle fleet, now offering 1,500 motorhomes sleeping up to eight people.
The average rental period booked by visitors from Europe is about 15 nights. Germany and the Netherlands are the strongest international markets, followed by the UK and Denmark, but Antin says the company works with 130 tour operators across Europe and around 200 worldwide
including domestic USA operators. “We are looking at different areas,” says Antin. “We see expansion potential in Italy, Spain and Portugal. We go to WTM because most of our partners go and there’s always the chance to pick up new partners.” About half of El Monte’s business is one-way rentals, mostly between San Francisco and Las Vegas or Los Angeles. He also says that more renters are opting for all-inclusive packages, so they can pay upfront without having to worry about charges for things that are traditionally extra such as personal kits, supplementary liability insurance and mileage.
An unusual country that El Monte also now offers is Japan. Antin explains: “This year we decided to set up an initiative in Japan, starting small near a Tokyo airport. We are trying to see if we can sell Japanese RV rentals. And so far, so good. It’s slow and steady but we are going to see over the next two years where we go with it. The RVs are a lot more compact to deal with the smaller roads. We are trying it out with key operators to see how it plays out before pushing for the retail side.”
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