RVIA President and CEO Craig Kirby wrote a letter addressing RV industry accomplishments and future goals, focusing on customer care and public lands.
The letter, published in Soundings Trade Only magazine’s March 2021 issue and released publicly by RVIA, detailed Kirby’s thoughts on consumers’ “renewed appreciation” of the outdoors following the Covid pandemic. The spike brings with it a responsibility for the outdoor recreation industry to provide optimal customer care, he said, in addition to ensuring increased recreation access to improve traveler’s experiences.
“Millions of RVers across the country depend on our iconic state and federal lands for recreation, conservation, enjoyment and overnight camping,” Kirby said in the letter. “These lands have long needed additional funding to create safer and more enjoyable experiences, by addressing deferred maintenance and campground modernization. That funding is now a reality thanks to the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, the most significant piece of outdoor recreation legislation in six decades.”
Congress passed the landmark legislation in July 2020. Kirby said the bill’s passage will result in increased recreation access for all people.
Kirby addressed other opportunities to improve consumers’ experiences going forward, especially those who have discovered RVing for the first time.
“First, we are making sure that these new RVers have the resources and information they need for a successful inaugural trip,” Kirby wrote. “Go RVing, the consumer advertising arm of our association, has partnered with experienced RVers to provide a ‘first-timers tool kit.’ This resource — made up of brief but comprehensive videos and articles on everything from how to select the right RV to how to set up at a campground for the first time — allows new RVers to be more informed, resulting in more enjoyable trips and a higher likelihood they will become RVers for life.”
Kirby noted the second opportunity is a renewed focus on reducing repair event cycle time (RECT). The industry started analyzing how to address RECT issues before the pandemic, he said. This year, a task force will be created to provide measurable ways to reduce repair time, Kirby said.
“Third is the work of the RV Technical Institute (RVTI) to increase the number of trained and certified RV technicians,” Kirby wrote. “Even before RV technician became the third fastest-growing job in 2020, RVTI was working to train and certify more RV technicians at its headquarters in Elkhart, Indiana, and through partnerships across the country.”
RVTI created an online training program in 2020, Kirby noted, the institute’s self-paced program to complete training and testing. The program’s level one course, which focus on pre-delivery inspections, is available now and level two will be rolling out this spring.
“The freedom, control and fun of RVing has made it the travel option of choice for many Americans this past year,” Kirby wrote. “While quite a few have discovered RVs for the first time, the RV industry has been experiencing more than 40 years of long-term growth that predates the pandemic. Our latest survey shows that RV purchase intent is strongest among millennials, followed closely by Gen X and Gen Z. This data bodes very well for the future of the RV industry, and the wider outdoor recreation industry.
“For that growth to become a reality, we must ensure that consumers have the enjoyable experience they expect and deserve,” he concluded in the letter. “If we take care of our public lands and our customers, there is no limit to the future growth of outdoor recreation.”
